The Wallflower and The Flyboy
by A Cullen Wannabe
Summary: Bella meets World War II Navy Pilot Edward at a USO dance and starts to fall in love immediately. Two weeks later, and one wedding later, they are facing long term separation as he ships off to the front. Can Bella stay strong with him so far away?
1. The Perfect Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight's characters nor do I own any songs mentioned in this story. Links to songs can be found on my profile.**

_**Author's Note: This was originally an entry for the Age of Edward one shot contest, and was the featured one shot on cullenboysanonymous(dot)com in January of 2010. After much encouragement from sixty reviewers, and some pretty great ideas brewing in my noggin, I've decided to continue the story of shy, innocent wallflower Bella and sexy, Navy flyboy Edward in this story of love and strife in World War II America. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks so much for taking the time to read and review.**_

_**Another small note, this chapter contains a lemon that is very tame in comparison to many found in this fandom, but is still somewhat graphic. Due to the fact that much of this story will take place with Edward at war, there won't be many lemons, but when I do include them, I will indicate they are coming with (**_**o~O~o)**_** to warn you one is coming, since not everyone appreciates the smut. I'm truly not expecting another full on lemon until the end of the story, unless I feel we need a nice citrus flashback or something. LOL**_

_***Please Note that in accordance with following the TOS, I have revised this chapter of the bits of lemon that were too graphic for fanfictions current rating guidelines. If you wish to read the unedited version, please seek out this story on twclibrary dot com. Flyboy was never going to have copious amounts of foul language or smut, so I don't mind adjusting the story to fit the TOS. Since the guidelines are very loosely defined, I hope that what I have done is non-explicit enough to meet muster.**_

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**The Perfect Beginning**

I awoke to find the bright light of the sun streaming across my face through the small slit between the two panels of the hotel curtains. I groaned and shifted to shield my eyes from the bright intruder into my peaceful slumber, bumping into a warm mass of muscle stretched out beside me in the large, pillow soft bed.

I turned to gaze at the face of the Greek god lying next to me in the bed. An uncontrollable smile spread across my face as I remembered the events of the past few weeks. I sat and stared at his eyelids, excited for the moment that they would flutter open to reveal the beautiful green irises burning brightly beneath. As I surveyed the perfection of the man beside me, I sighed in contentment.P

Two and a half weeks ago, I didn't even know this beautiful piece of heaven and now, he was my everything.

I couldn't help but thank the good Lord for giving my two best friends an indomitable tenacity to force me to go to the USO dance that night. Why should I? I usually spent the whole night being ignored by the beautiful officers. Instead, I was often begged into working the concessions table. Worse yet, I might end up spending the entire night hiding from the greasy, pimple faced privates, who had zero tact and even less of a grasp on the meaning of the word no.

Finally, after an hour of them begging and nagging me to go, I begrudgingly allowed Alice to drag me into the restroom where she forced me to wash my hair and spent the next several hours setting it in curlers. We had no place to go today. The dance wasn't until the evening, but Alice and Rose would be spending the rest of the day shaping me into the closest resemblance to Betty Boop that they could manage with the material they had to work with.

By the time we needed to leave to make our way to the dance, I was finally allowed to look at the results of my full day of torture. My dark brown hair had been molded and shaped into a Rita Hayworth do, pinned into perfect curls framing my face and cascading down my back. My makeup was borderline obscene with the bright red lipstick they plastered on my lips to match the red hooker pumps. To top it off, they put me in a white swing dress boasting a slightly low neckline and cute little capsleeves. The dress' flouncy skirt was adorned with little pairs of bright red cherries connected by tiny green stems.

If my conservative, Bible belt mother saw me right now, she would yell for me to go back to my room and change immediately, insisting that any daughter of hers would not leave the house looking like a common lady of the night. Thankfully, though, my mother lived three thousand miles away from here. I looked in the mirror a long moment, trying to shake the disdain of my mother's opinions and attempted to look at myself from a more modern point of view. Once I was able to do that, I found that I actually looked rather nice. It may have been more revealing and bright than I typically chose to dress, but in comparison to what Rosalie and half the other more obvious girls who would be adorned in, flaunting their wares in hopes of snagging a rich handsome officer that would be there tonight, I would not appear inappropriate.

I carefully slid my calf length wool dress coat over my shoulders, attempting not to wrinkle the dress, before following Rose and Alice out to our car. Our 1935 Packard that we all three saved and scrimped to pool our resources together to buy, sat gleaming in the parking space in front of our apartment. It was a beautiful blue color with a convertible top, which Rosalie maintained to perfection.

Looking at Rosie, you would never suspect she would know anything about cars. A female mechanic was completely unheard of, but her father was one of the best restorers of damaged vehicles in the tri state area back home. Since he only had daughters, he pulled all three eagerly into the garage to help him most weekends. Rose's sisters, Lily and Daisy, constantly complained and whined to be let out to go do other 'more feminine' pursuits, but Rose, she relished the time with her father and the feel of cool machinery coming together under her fingertips.

We pulled in front of the USO, getting out of the car carefully, in order to keep ourselves looking just right. The sounds of the brass section of the band floated all the way out to our car as we closed the doors and made our way into the building.

We went in and checked our coats before Rose and Alice pulled me immediately to our favorite table on the raised platform at the back of the room. They preferred this place because it allowed them the best birds eye view to spot the cutest hunks of the night. I liked it because I usually took the corner seat and found that I could often hide there the rest of the night and watch them dance and swing on the floor in relative peace.

I wished more than anything that I could dance like them. It was amazing to watch them spin and twirl on the floor in a cloud of swirling skirts and bouncing hair. Alice was the queen of swing since she was so tiny that the guys had no problem tossing her in the air like a rag doll. Her bouncy personality and unending energy made her cute little body bounce and flounce all over the floor all night without an end in sight.

Rose had her own style of dance, which was much more sexy and seductive, but never whorish. She usually had her dance card full within minutes of walking in the door and would be in the arm of one unbelievably handsome flyboy after another all night long.

I, however, had never managed to learn to do a basic two step without obliterating my partner's feet, much less swing dance, and I couldn't do sexy and seductive if my life depended on it.

As soon as we were seated, Rose and Alice were immediately asked to dance. They both threw furtive glances at me before declining, stating that they wanted to get something to drink before they began to dance tonight. Three declines later, they were beginning to look antsy.

"Girls, it's fine. Please just go dance and give those boys one last good memory before they have to go off to Germany or Japan. This is what you're here for. You need to go boost some of that morale out there. I'll be fine."

"No, Bella, I have a feeling about tonight," Alice chirped next to me with a wide knowing smile. Alice always fancied herself a clairvoyant. I just rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Trust me, Bella. Tonight you are going to meet someone special, and if Rose and I stick with you, we will too. If we leave, then you're going to get all of the fun, and we'll end the night the same way we do every night. This is for us as much as you."

I sighed at Alice's lame attempt to make me feel better for being a damper on their social calendar for the evening.

The band continued playing energetically as Rose and Alice continued to decline male after male. The night was nearly half over when the doors opened and my heart stopped. Three Navy flyboys walked in, the buttons of their uniforms sparkling in the dim light of the dance hall. They were all handsome, but the one in the middle with reddish brown hair and the most amazing green eyes I had ever seen absolutely took my breath away.

I watched intently as they crossed the room to the bar and stood in a threesome, chatting as they ordered drinks and laughed together. It only took seconds before they were flanked by the trashy trio, Tanya, Lauren, and Jessica. Of all the girls who came to the USO nights, they were the most well known and most ill reputed. I groaned and dropped my head back against the booth behind me with a sigh.

Of course, the most gorgeous man you've ever seen will most likely end up with Tanya Denali. That's how it always works, and even if he didn't, there are about three dozen other girls more likely to draw his attention than you. Silly Bella.

I opened my eyes to see Alice and Rose looking at me in confusion. I nodded toward the trio of pilot perfection talking politely to the trashy triplets. They nodded in understanding before Alice started bouncing excitedly. I looked at her confused as she winked.

I shrugged and looked back toward the man who would most definitely star in my dreams every night from here on out, unable to avoid watching him disappear from the realm of possibility with morbid curiosity.

I expected to see him with Tanya laced around his neck, as he would whisper in her ear or worse, but instead, I saw him shake his head. The three girls looked confused before walking away. stunned.

Then the beautiful green irises glanced in my direction. His gaze locked with mine, and neither of us looked away. After what seemed like an eternity of being lost in his eyes, I felt Alice's hand on mine. I looked over at her in a daze as she laughed.

"I said that he's cute, Bella. You should see if you can get him to ask you to dance."

My face tinted scarlet as I stared at my pixie friend in dismay. "Alice, he'd never dance with me. Even if he wanted to, you know I can't dance. I'll just make a fool out of myself."

She shook her head, "Oh come on, Bella, you have to have seen that look. He looks at you as if you are the last piece of apple pie. You haven't tried dancing in a really long time, and only with that dork Eric Yorkie. That boy couldn't dance his way out of a paper bag….but that cool drink of water over there looks like he knows his way across the dance floor."

I shook my head at Alice in denial just in time to hear a voice that sounded smooth as velvet across the table from me.

"Hello, ladies," the voice wafted through the air. My eyes shot up to lock with the beautiful green ones I had been watching across the room. He looked intently at me as he spoke. "Do you mind if we join you?"

My mouth dropped open as I managed to mumble 'sure' slightly incoherently, as he shot me the most amazing crooked smile I had ever seen. He took off his hat and ran his hand through his regulation cut hair before Alice stood up allowing him to slide into the booth next to me. My mouth felt dry as the desert as I struggled to come up with words to speak, but the handsome pilot next to me removed the need.

He held his hand out to me. I reached up to place my hand in his staring in awe as he held it gingerly.

"I'm Lieutenant Edward Cullen. These two gentleman here are Lieutenant Jasper Whitlock," He gestured toward a tall slender blonde man who greeted us with an appealing southern accent. The tall blonde southern gentleman glanced at us politely with a nod before his gaze returned to Alice's face.

"And Lieutenant Emmett McCarty." He gestured this time at the large behemoth of a man with black curly hair, blue eyes, and dimples so deep when he smiled, that if you got lost in them, it would take a week to navigate your way back out again…and smiling he was. He reached out to take Rosalie's hand, lifting it gallantly to his lips where he placed a kiss on the back, never letting his eyes wander from Rose's face. Rose was staring back with equal interest.

I smiled shyly at the amazingly handsome man holding my hand and forced my mouth to form words. "How do you do? I'm Bella Swan, and these are my friends and roommates, Alice Brandon and Rosalie Hale."

Edward nodded in their directions. Before much more conversation could be had, both girls were being whisked away to the dance floor by their prospective new suitors.

Edward glanced at me apologetically a moment before offering to buy me a drink. I declined and we sat, carrying on a shy conversation for a few minutes. As we talked, I learned that he and his friends were part of a unit set to ship out for the Eastern front in a little more than two weeks. Jasper was a farm boy from Texas, Emmett was a good ole boy from Tennessee, and he was the son of a doctor from Washington State. As our conversation began, I had been timid and shy, but the more we talked, the more comfortable I became with Edward. He was easy to talk to, and for once, I managed to find someone at one of these things that actually seemed to find me, Bella Swan, interesting and worth the time and effort to get to know.

We sat glancing down occasionally from our perch to watch our friends dance. Jasper and Alice were amazing as they twirled along the floor in a blur of Alice's red halter dress. Emmett and Rose were a close second on the impressiveness scale. The entire dance floor had pretty much cleared as everyone watched the two couples dance in their own little world. I looked over at Edward and couldn't hold back the sigh that escaped my mouth as I wished I could dance like that with him. Unfortunately, he heard me and turned to look at me.

"What's wrong, Bella?"

I sighed again. "Unfortunately, I was born with two left feet. I so wish I could dance like that, but I am hopeless."

Edward smiled that amazing crooked smile that made my heart melt every time it broke across his face during our last hour of conversation. "I don't believe that, Bella. Besides, it's all in the leading."

Just as he said this, the brass section of the band stood and let out the first few notes of Glenn Miller's _In the Mood._ Edward's smile grew wide and bright as he stood up, holding his hand out to me in offering. I shook my head and shrunk into the corner of the booth. "NO, Edward, I will seriously injure you if I try to dance like that."

His beautiful smile melted into the most adorable pout I had ever seen as his eyes burrowed into mine. "Please, Bella. I love this song and I won't get many more chances to dance to it before I ship out. I promise, if I'm wrong and my leading doesn't solve your dancing issues, then I will lead you straight back up here and sit talking with you the rest of the night and not try to get you to fast dance with me again."

My brows pulled together as the images of me trampling the feet of this gorgeous man as I made a complete and total fool of myself kept skimming through my head. I finally, reluctantly, reached my hand out for him to take. He carefully led me out to the dance floor and tipped my face up to look in his instead of focusing on my feet.

"Trust me, Bella. Just feel the music and follow my lead." He started off slow, moving me back and forth to the beat of the music as it flowed over us on the dance floor. After a few seconds of me actually managing to not impale his foot with my heel, I felt a slow smile cross my face as he smiled back down at me. "See…all in the leading."

Slowly he increased our speed until we were spinning on the floor nearly as quickly as Alice and Jasper had been. Soon, he spun me out, and I noticed we were alone on the dance floor. I locked eyes for a split second with a beaming Rose and Alice, hanging on the arms of their fellas.

Edward quickly pulled me back in before yelling, "Trust me, Bella."

We spun twice more before he pushed me back slightly with both his hands on my hips. An instant later, he lifted me up in the air, swooping me to one side of his body, and then back up and past the other before lifting me nearly straight above him. I felt myself start to panic as my momentum paused with my body stretched out above the crowd before gravity took over and Edward directed it with ease, bringing me to slide under him between his spread legs so that I was stretched out behind him, nearly laying on the ground, and yet fully supported by his strength. He released his right hand from my wrist and quickly spun around, spinning me at the same time. He lifted me to stand so that I was facing him a split second before dipping me as the song ended.

We both stared at each other, out of breath, as he held me in the dip. Both of us were smiling like we had just won the lottery. He slowly pulled me up to stand in front of him, lifting my hands to his lips and kissing the back gently. "Miss Bella Swan, I do believe you fibbed."

My mouth opened in shock. "I most certainly did not. Ask Alice and Rose, I've never been able to dance like that in my life. You must be one amazing leader, because I have never done that before, and will probably never be able to do it again!"

He smirked at me and winked. "Oh yes you will, because I plan on dancing with you every chance I get." I smiled and blushed. His smile widened in response as we simply stood there, green eyes meeting brown, as the band began their next song.

Edward motioned to ask me to dance. I nodded as he took my right hand in his left and wrapped his other hand around my waist, pulling me close as the singer began to croon.

_You must remember this  
A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.  
The fundamental things apply  
As time goes by._

Edward shifted our embrace so that we were now dancing cheek to cheek. I felt a surge of excitement and electricity course through my body from the place where we exchanged body heat. I could feel his breath brush past my ear as he sang along with the singer.

_And when two lovers woo  
They still say, "I love you."  
On that you can rely  
No matter what the future brings  
As time goes by._

_Moonlight and love songs  
Never out of date.  
Hearts full of passion  
Jealousy and hate.  
Woman needs man  
And man must have his mate  
That no one can deny._

_It's still the same old story  
A fight for love and glory  
A case of do or die.  
The world will always welcome lovers  
As time goes by._

The lyrics ceased for a moment as the band played the bridge. My breath hitched in my chest as I heard Edward's velvet soft voice in my ear. "Bella, please tell me that I can see you again after tonight. I can't bear the thought of never seeing you again."

I leaned back to look at his face, which appeared somewhat pained as he released my hand to run his thumb along the apple of my cheek. "Please, Bella. What I feel for you is too special for you to just be an amazing girl I danced with one night in New York. You are without a doubt the most beautiful, intelligent, sweet, and amazing woman I have ever met. I will kick myself for the rest of my life if I let this end with the conclusion of this dance tonight. So please, Bella, promise to see me again."

I blinked and swallowed before I whispered, "I promise." His sad expression dissolved into the most radiant smile I had ever seen before he wrapped both hands around my waist, lifting me up into the air. He twirled me in circles, yelling Thank you as I laughed. After a few seconds, he finally brought me back to the floor and tipped forward to place a gentle kiss on my cheek.

I couldn't help but shake the feeling that the whole night was nothing more than the most amazing dream I had ever had as I spent the rest of the night next to Edward. If we weren't slow dancing, we were back in our booth talking animatedly about our families and our lives. He even managed to get me back on the dance floor to dance with him for _Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy_ and _Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree_ to be expertly twirled and whirled around him before the night was over.

As the lights began to be shut off and the last of the dance participants slowly straggled out of the double doors to the community building, Rosalie, Alice, and I reluctantly made our way outside in the embrace of the amazing men we had met that night. We each took our time saying goodnight as we held tight to the guys, each of us fearing that they would disappear in a cloud of smoke the second we released them. Finally, after half an hour of sad goodbyes, the exchanging of phone numbers, and plans for a triple date for dinner and a movie the next night, we parted ways with our flyboys to drive home together.

Once we were home, the three of us sat up half the night sharing our stories about how amazing and perfect each of our guys were as we washed and reset our hair so it would be ready the next afternoon for our triple date.

And so it continued. Night after night, we would make plans with our boys as we painted the town red as a group of six.

Edward was every inch the gentleman. After our first group date, I received another hug and a chaste kiss on the cheek, as did I after our second date as well. After our third date, my stomach jumped in my abdomen as he leaned in and instead of dodging for my cheek, he placed a soft chaste kiss on my lips. My god, his lips were like the most amazing silk ever, soft, smooth, and luxurious. I swore on all I owned that if I died that night, I would die a happy woman.

Over the course of one short week, our lives had completely shifted on axis. We still went about the business of surviving. Getting up every morning and going to our office jobs where we dealt with the untoward advances of our misogynistic bosses, but we put up with it as we walked around in clouded daydreams of our nights with our men.

By the end of the first week, we agreed as a group that the time had come for each couple to fend for themselves. It had been fun to do things as a group. It was great getting to know quiet calm Jasper and boisterous funny Emmett better as we all formed a bond and learned more about our friends significant others, but I quickly learned that solo dates were far superior to group outings.

I loved every minute I spent with my sweet, gentlemanly Edward. There was never a moment I felt uncomfortable or endangered. Matter of fact, I often found myself fighting off the instinct to progress our relationship as we would dance together on a darkened dance floor, or sit side by side holding hands in the pitch black movie theater, but I was a well brought up lady. I wasn't going to do anything so forward. It just wasn't done unless you were a woman of less than upstanding repute like Tanya and her loose friends.

No I was a good girl…a good girl who was recently discovering that keeping her thoughts pure was not always as easy as the minister at church tried to make it sound. It was just so hard when I would think about how soft his lips were and how much softer they would feel on other parts of my body. Of course, my imagination was all I had to go on since I'd never been any further with a boy than I had already been with Edward. We had already crossed barriers together that I had never experienced before, and yet, here I was jumping WAY ahead of myself.

It was nearing the end of our second week together. Edward once again took me out on the town for an amazing night of fine dining and dancing as he twirled me around the floor of the Copacabana once the paid acts of the night were done. It was like magic being in Edward's arms. The thought of having to let him go in less than a week was heartbreaking.

When we had first met the boys, they had a loose timeframe of when to expect to ship out. Two days ago, we were given a date that was looming over our heads like the blade of a guillotine, just waiting to fall and sever us from our hearts forever. Next Wednesday evening, less than six full days from the moment we were dancing in at that time, I would have to say goodbye to my sweet, wonderful Edward, the man who had stolen my heart forever in just twelve short days. Honestly, he stole my heart almost the moment I saw him, and held it safely in his strong capable hands for twelve days. How is it possible that I can't imagine living the rest of my life without an individual I had only known for less than two full weeks?

I tried to push the thoughts out of my mind as I buried my nose in the fragrant neck of my love. I wanted to cherish every moment I had with my own personal miracle, not wallow in the pain that was inevitable when he had to leave. I prayed that his feelings for me mirrored my own. I prayed that he wouldn't go off to war and come back having given his heart to another, that I owned his heart as completely as he owned mine, but I had no guarantees. He hadn't even told me he loved me. Worse yet was the thought that he might not come back at all.

As the thought hit me, I couldn't suppress my sobs any longer. I melted into his chest as the tears flowed from my face, streaking my mascara in their wake. Edward leaned back with a concerned look on his face. He gently tipped my chin to look at me before freezing and moving his hands to cradle my face between his warm palms.

"What's wrong, my beautiful Bella? What's the matter, my love?"

My breath hitched at his last words. "D…d…do you?"

He looked confused, "Do I what, love?"

"L..L…Love me, Edward? Do you really, or is it just a nickname?"

His brow furrowed and his eyes burned fiercely in his face as he pulled my face to his, crushing the most passionate kiss we had ever shared on my mouth. As he grazed my lips with his tongue, I gasped at the sensation, giving him access to dip is tongue into my mouth with a moan. His tongue grazed my teeth and gently caressed my tongue as he tipped our faces to provide better access. My hands involuntarily snaked into his hair, pulling him closer. His hands drifted from my face to clutch my lower back, completely closing the distance between our bodies. Our actions were completely inappropriate for such a public venue, but in that moment, neither of us cared.

After an eternity in the heaven of Edward's kiss, he pulled away as we panted in each other's faces.

"Oh, my beautiful, wonderful Bella. I haven't done my job well enough if you even begin to question just how much I love you. Words cannot express the depth of the feelings I have for you. In my whole life I have never wanted another human being so much and in so many wonderful and terrifying ways."

"I dream of you every day and every night, the feel of your hand in mine…" He reached down and grasped both of my hands in his, bringing them to his mouth to place spine tingling, open mouthed kisses on the backs.

"The feel of your lips on mine…" He leaned forward, brushing a feather light kiss across my lips.

"The smell of your skin that lingers on my clothes when I leave you at night to go back to my barracks alone…" He pulled me close, nuzzling his nose into my neck, taking a deep breath before placing a heavy kiss on my jugular and darting out his tongue to quickly lick where he had kissed. I squeaked in surprise, not only at the forward actions of my gentleman, but also the foreign tingles his actions enticed in my abdomen and thighs. My legs trembled slightly as he continued to graze his nose up and down the column of my neck before his mouth found my ear and he continued to whisper.

"Oh, my beautiful Bella…I dream, waking and sleeping, of making you mine forever in every way. The word 'love' doesn't even begin to cover the subject."

He pulled back to lock his green eyes with mine and I gasped at the intense gaze I found there.

"I always swore that I would never leave a woman in the precarious position of marrying her and leaving her behind while I went off to war. I've watched men all around me doing it for months now and I constantly argued with them that it was the wrong thing to do. I never understood the impulse until I found you, Bella, and now I understand. When you find your soul mate, you have to hold onto them, to make them yours so you have one thing above all else to live for and make it back home alive for."

He stepped back and reached into his jacket pocket where the pulled out a small ring box from Tiffany's. He knelt down in front of me, cracking open the box to reveal the most beautiful sparkling diamond on a shiny silver band. "Isabella Marie Swan, please make me the happiest man on this planet and agree to be my wife."

I was speechless as the tears once again flowed down my face in zigzagging streaks of black. My voice failed me but my smile didn't. I opened my mouth and rasped out a quiet "yes." Edward beamed as he quickly yanked the ring from the box, tossing it aside, and gingerly sliding it onto my finger. He stood up and grabbed my waist, lifting me into the air and spinning me. After a few revolutions, he slowly slid me back down his body, letting every inch of me graze past every inch of him as I went, until my feet were back on the ground and his mouth was once more attached eagerly to mine.

After taking ample time to celebrate our new engagement by dancing close and remaining attached at the mouth, we finally left and walked down the New York streets arm in arm. I stretched my hand out in front of me, admiring the rather large and amazingly impressive piece of jewelry that now rested on my hand, shouting to the world that I belonged to Lieutenant Edward Cullen. Then a thought crossed my mind and I froze.

"Edward, Tiffany's is extremely expensive, how can you afford this ring?"

He chuckled as he turned to me, cupping my cheeks in his hands. "Oh, my beautiful love, I had a feeling you never connected the dots. Do you not recognize my last name?"

I frowned and then my eyes popped open as wide as saucers. "Cullen…as in Cullen Steel? As in the number one company in charge of metallurgy and construction of all military equipment being made for both fronts Cullen Steel?"

He laughed and leaned forward to kiss my forehead. "Yes, soon to be Bella Cullen. So don't worry about how much that ring cost, because I can more than afford it."

I shook my head in shock a moment as I gazed at the amused eyes of my fiancé before finally sighing and wrapping my arms around his again. I rested my head on his shoulder as we continued making our way back toward the apartment I shared with Rose and Alice.

When we reached the door, I found that the apartment was empty, so I invited Edward in. He sighed, running his hand through his hair before he refused, insisting on talking to me in the doorway.

"Why won't you come in, Edward? We can sit and talk, it would be much more comfortable."

He blushed from his place across from me. "Bella, I know you think highly of me, but I'm still a man, and I have to say that being alone with you would be more than my self control can withstand. I want everything with us to be special."

I blushed scarlet and nodded in understanding. The tingle in my thighs increased at the idea that he was struggling so much with his impulses in regards to me. It thrilled me and made me want to cast away my upbringing and drag him into the apartment, locking the world behind it, and falling into his embrace, losing myself in his touch.

I sighed and he reached forward to gently caress my cheek. "I don't want to wait much longer for you. I want you to become my wife as soon as possible. Do you think that we can get a license and get married tomorrow? I don't want to wait a second longer than we have to."

I smiled and nibbled on my lower lip in anticipation. "I can call off sick from work tomorrow and we can go to the court house. GI weddings are pretty common lately, I'm sure they have a process. I just hope they let me off of work. If I were to lose my job, I'm not sure if I could find another one. There aren't many jobs out there for women."

Edward took a deep breath and stepped forward, pulling me flush with his body, his breath wafting across my face. "Tomorrow you will be Mrs. Edward Cullen. You won't need a job unless you just want to have one. Once you're my wife, I get to take care of you and spoil you in every way I want."

I stiffened and frowned. "I don't want to be spoiled. I just want you."

He smiled a devastating smile before crashing his lips to mine. After a few seconds, he mumbled with his lips still brushing mine as he spoke. "I know, love, and that's just one of a thousand reasons why I love you and can't wait for you to be my wife."

He kissed me a few more minutes before pulling away and taking a step back. "I'll pick you up tomorrow. What time does the courthouse open?"

"Nine, I think."

He smiled his crooked smile. "I'll be here at eight thirty then. We'll be standing at the doors to be let in as soon as they are open."

I giggled and waved as he backed down the hallway, unwilling to break our gaze, and yet knowing he had to leave.

Finally, he reached the stairwell and disappeared behind the doorway. I sighed turning to close the door behind me just as I heard two voices squeal behind me. I jumped and turned back around to see Rose and Alice running toward me from the back bedroom with their arms hanging open to hug me.

"We heard the whole thing. Congratulations!" Alice chirped.

Rose looked a tad disappointed as she looked down at her unadorned hand, but then grabbed my hand and whistled loudly. "Holy smokes, Alice, did you see this rock?"

Alice grabbed my hand quickly from Rose and turned it roughly this way and that before rattling off in an official voice, "Tiffany, VVS1 at the very least, two carat brilliant cut marquis shaped solitaire set in platinum with at least a half carat of trilliant cut accents. This is a high dollar ring, Bella. Where did he ever get the money?"

"Uh…um…" I didn't know if I should tell. He didn't seem ashamed of his background, but he didn't share the information for a reason right? I finally decided that they would eventually find out anyway. "I actually just found this out tonight. You know his last name is Cullen right?" They both nodded looking confused and then their mouths dropped in unison.

"You mean?" Alice stuttered.

"Cullen Steel," I answered quietly as Rose whistled and Alice's smile grew wide.

"Well I'll be," Rose whispered shaking her head as she once again examined my ring. "So you're calling off tomorrow to marry a Steel magnate."

I nodded and blushed as I pulled my hand from hers and stared at the glinting gemstone as it refracted the dim light of the living room and sparkled brilliantly.

"Well, we're taking off and coming with you. There is no way you are getting married at a courthouse without us with you. Oh, Bella…What are you going to wear?" Alice shrieked as she dashed off toward my bedroom closet.

Three hours later, we had scavenged through every article of clothing I owned, finding nothing suitable for marrying my own personal Greek god. We were just about to give up when Rose got up and walked out of the room to return a few minutes later with a long black garment bag zipped tightly closed. She brought it in with a funny expression on her face and laid it on my bed, slowly unzipping it and revealing a beautiful white lace dress with a tea length skirt and short cap sleeves.

"This was what I was supposed to wear when I married Royce. It cost so much, I couldn't bear to part with it, but I'll never bring myself to wear it either. Would you please wear it instead, Bella? It would make me happy to know that it provided some bride with a happy wedding day in the end."

My eyes filled with tears as I jumped off the bed and threw my arms around Rosalie's neck. That bastard had really damaged Rose with the way he treated her. It took a very long time for her to recover from the physical assault he and his friends unleashed on her young body. Thanks to their evil ways, Rose, who adored children more than anything, would never be able to have any of her own. I knew it had to be painful to bring up all of those memories by giving me this dress, but I suspected it was healing in a way as well.

"Oh thank you, Rose. You and Alice are the best friends I could ever hope for. I love you both so much. Thank you."

She smiled and squeezed me around the waist once more for good measure before stepping back and lifting the dress from the bag.

"Well let's try this on and make sure it fits. Alice may have to pull out her sewing machine and make a few alterations since you have a little less up top than I do."

I scoffed, "A little? Try two whole cup sizes, toots!"

We all laughed before Rose helped me step into the dress and slowly pulled the zipper up my back. I turned and looked in the mirror. The reflection looking back at me blurred as the tears filled my eyes. It was so much more than I ever could have hoped for, and thanks to the general design of the dress, there was very little alterations needed, surprisingly enough.

By the time Alice put me through the rigors of washing my hair and setting it once more in rollers so it would be perfect for the next day, we turned off the lights and settled into our beds sometime around four in the morning. Alice had the alarm set to wake us back up at seven so we would have an hour and a half to get me styled and ready for Edward's arrival. The dress was once again safely tucked in the garment bag for me to take along and change in the restroom so that I could at least manage to get the effect of the groom not seeing the bride in her dress before the wedding. I didn't get a wink of sleep though, as I tossed and turned and daydreamed about becoming Mrs. Edward Cullen.

The morning came in a chaos of make up and bobby pins as Alice made me up bridal style. pinning a halo of white freesias in my hair from the flower store down the street. She just finished the final touches when the knock at the door indicated that Edward had arrived.

We all squealed as I ran to throw open the door to find not only Edward, but Jasper and Emmett standing there as well. I jumped into Edward's arms and he held me and kissed me deeply as our audience chuckled at our antics. A round of greetings later, and quick trip to my bedroom to grab the garment bag containing the dress, and we were off.

We arrived to find that we were the fifth couple in line to get through the doors. All of the grooms clad in various forms of fancy dress uniforms for their various divisions of service, and the girls all dressed in a wide variety of classic dresses of their own, many wearing flowers in their hair or holding a bundle of flowers as a bouquet.

Within a half hour of arriving, we had our license in hand and were waiting for our turn to go in. While we were waiting, Alice and Rose helped me change in the ladies room while the boys sat patiently on the benches outside. Rose kept me company inside the room while Alice stood at the door to listen for our name to be called.

It seemed like an eternity before Alice stuck her tiny head with her short hair pinned in a cute little bob through the door. "It's time to make you Bella Cullen."

I took a deep breath and stepped through the door to come face to face with the love of my life. It made my heart jump in my chest when I heard him audibly suck in a breath when he saw me. He stared in stunned silence for a moment before crossing the space between us in four long strides and taking my hands lifting them to his lips.

"You are a vision; now let's go make this official." He winked and I smiled as he pulled my hand through his arm and escorted me through the large double wooden doors that led to the courtroom.

The ceremony was short, but so beautiful because all I did was gaze into the eyes of my future, the eyes that would hopefully, some day, also be reflected in our children and grandchildren. We answered the judge's questions and responded when we were supposed to, but I really don't think either of us remembered one word because all we heard and saw were each other. When the judge announced we were husband and wife, Edward closed the space between us instantly before the judge even told him he could kiss me and swept me into a dip as he kissed me passionately.

Afterward, we went for a fancy lunch with our friends before parting ways with them as he practically ran us toward a large fancy hotel that I had only seen in passing but never dreamed I would ever actually stay in.

He pulled me through the doors of the Waldorf Astoria and quickly tugged me with a wide eager smile to the front desk. The receptionist looked me up and down and smiled a bit condescendingly before asking rather haughtily if she could help us.

Edward didn't skip a beat as he blurted. "CULLEN, reservations for Mr. and Mrs. Cullen for the honeymoon suite."

The receptionist's eyes widened at the name and then quickly changed her tune to one of absolute sweetness and reverence as she hurriedly tried to check us in while Edward impatiently tapped his wallet on the counter top. Finally having no more patience, he sighed.

"Just give us the room key and bill everything to the family's private account." She nodded quickly looking quite intimidated and then handed over the room keys with wide eyes.

Edward turned to me with a bright smile as he immediately dipped down and slid his arms behind my knees, sweeping me up bridal style. I squeaked in surprise and then giggled throwing my arms around his neck. "Come on, Mrs. Cullen, let's go see our room."

He turned and made straight for the elevator doors that were already open with an attendant waiting for us with smiling eyes. Edward stepped in and nodded to the attendant. "To the honeymoon suite, my good man, and make it snappy."

The attendant chuckled as he closed the gates and pushed the lever to make us ascend to the indicated floor. "As you wish, sir."

Edward held me for the entire elevator ride as we stole a few kisses behind the attendant's back. Once we reached the floor, Edward told me to reach into his breast pocket and to give the man a ten. I did so obediently, as the attendant thanked us profusely and wished us happy honeymooning. Edward laughed and carried me in a quick jog down the long hallway toward the door to our honeymoon oasis.

When we reached the door, he bent his knees to align the key with the lock and shoved the key in, ignoring my suggestion that putting me down would make it much easier. Within seconds, the door was swung open. He stepped through, slamming it behind him with his foot, as he kissed me passionately, striding directly toward the bedroom where a massive king side bed took up the middle of the large room.

An instant later, he was laying me gently on the bed as he hovered above me, lavishing my mouth with deep probing kisses. He slowly began to move across to my ear, and then my neck, sucking excitedly on the flesh as he worked his way down the column to the juncture where my neck met my shoulders. I moaned and ran my fingers through his hair and down his back as he continued to suck and lick at the flesh of my neck and shoulders, and then moved his attentions to my collarbone.

"Oh, Bella….FINALLY…Finally, you are mine. We can do whatever we want…no more barriers, no more propriety, no more damn moral code of conduct. You are mine and I am yours."

I moaned grabbing his hair tightly in my hands and pulled his head to crash my lips into his. He moaned as he finally rested his weight on my body. His hands began to roam up and down the sides of my dress drifting lower and lower with each pass. We finally broke away, panting as I gasped. "I love you, Edward. I am yours for always!

I reached forward and slid his dress jacket off of his shoulders, tossing it behind him on the floor before beginning to unbutton his shirt button, running my hands up and down his flawless chest. I had never been alone with a shirtless man before who wasn't my father or my brother, and even then, I only saw their bare chests while they were working hard on the farm. I explored the sharp lanes of his chest with my fingers as he hissed at my touch.

A few seconds later, he rolled us over so that I was lying on top of him. I felt his hands move up to the zipper of my dress. He lowered it unbearably slowly, and I could have sworn I could hear each tooth as they slowly released from one another. Fire spread down my back as his fingers grazed the newly exposed flesh behind the lowering toggle of the zipper.

When the zipper was finally completely down, he sat us up so we faced one another with me straddling his legs. He slowly reached one hand up and gently pushed one sleeve of the dress off my shoulder, leaving it bare. He gently reached forward and worshipped the newly exposed skin there with his mouth before moving to the other shoulder and doing the same. He moved the neckline of the dress down my body as he followed closely behind with his lips kissing and caressing tenderly until he was nestled in the valley between the swell of my breasts.

o~O~o

I felt his cool nose grazed across my chest and I hissed at the new sensation at the same time that he sighed contentedly. He released the top of my dress, letting it fall to my waist, as his hands slowly slid up my sides and around my back to carefully unhook the fasteners of my bra and then brought his hands up my back to my shoulders where he pulled the straps down my arms freeing myself to him for the first time.

His eyes grew wide as he looked at me. "My God, Bella, you're perfect." I blushed only a second before he leaned forward and placed delicate kisses across the newly exposed flesh. I gasped at the amazing sensation, as gooseflesh spread across my body. I sucked in a long unsteady breath and felt my body instinctually arch into him.

I felt his mouth smile against me as he continued to worship my chest. I felt the bulge underneath me grow more prominent we continued. Finally, his mouth left my chest and consumed my mouth again as his hands grasped my hips tightly, shifting my hips to rub against the bulge a bit more forcefully.

The sensations ripping through my body were amazing. I couldn't believe the things my body was doing of its own accord, simply in reaction to his body. I had no clue what I was doing at all. It seemed that whatever it was, he was enjoying it immensely as he moaned oaths of love and lust in my ear while nibbling my earlobes.

After a while, I knew I needed more and I needed it now. I reached my hands between our bodies and began to unbutton his trousers. I squeaked when I felt my hand come in contact with a his flesh. He hissed and jerked his hips at the contact and my mouth dropped open when I realized that I had just encountered his arousal. I felt panic grip my body as I started to understand just how uncomfortable our first union would be for my never before seen nether regions.

I jerked my hand away and froze. He looked at me with concern for a moment before understanding graced his features. He lifted his hands to my face and stroked my cheeks soothingly. "It's okay, love. We can take things as slowly as you need to. I don't want you to do anything you aren't ready for, but we can do lots of other things besides that until you are ready." He smiled his irresistible crooked smile. I smiled back as I reached my hands to cup his cheeks and pounced on him with another fully passionate kiss.

Edward gently rolled me back underneath him. He sat back on his knees next to me and lowered the dress the rest of the way from my body, tossing it gently on the chair next to the bed. Part of me felt the instinct to cover myself as I lay before him in nothing more than my underwear, garter belt, and stockings, but a greater part of me felt excited as he hungrily took me in with his eyes. His hands slowly and lovingly caressed my body, beginning with my arms and torso, drifting over my chest, down my stomach, circling my belly button, and then over my garter belt to the tops of my legs where my stockings attached to the straps of the belt.

He gingerly slid his hand around my leg, releasing the straps one by one and then doing the same on the other leg. He crawled to the end of the bed between my legs and grasped the top of one of my right stocking, rolling it slowly down my leg, over my calf and past my foot where he began to kiss, working his way up to my knee. He set my freshly freed leg down before picking up the other, repeating the process.

When my legs were free of the stockings, he reached up and hooked his fingers under my garter belt and underwear, gently tugging them off of my hips and down my legs as he locked his gaze with mine. I was enraptured by the look of love shining from his emerald irises. Once the last of my clothing had been removed, he slid back up my body to kiss me gently as his hands roamed the now unencumbered landscape of my body.

"Bella, you don't have to do anything, but will you please let me worship your body. If anything I do makes you uncomfortable, you just have to say so and I'll stop, but I would like permission to make you feel things you have never even imagined. Can I please do that for you, my love?"

I nodded and pulled his face to mine as I plundered his mouth greedily with my tongue. The simple fact that he was being so gentle and understanding with me, made me feel empowered. His selfless attitude made me want to do anything and everything I could to make him happy. Maybe if he was capable of doing the things he suggested, then I could work up the courage to do everything else.

His lips moved across my body slowly, each butterfly soft caress warming my heart and making it speed anxiously. I stiffened as I realized what he was most likely going to do next and he looked up at me with pleading eyes. "Please, my love, trust me. I would never hurt you. I want to make you feel good."

He began doing things to my body that shocked and amazed me as feelings I had never experienced before. Never in all of my life had I ever felt that kind of bodily pleasure.

He lifted his face to look at me with his beautiful crooked smile. "Want me to keep going?"

I pleaded that he continue, earning a smile as his caresses and kisses grew more fervent.

The sensations rocking my body were unbelievable. I wasn't sure what was happening to me, but it was the most amazing thing I had ever felt in my life. I opened my eyes again and Edward was staring at me as he continued to play my body like an instrument.

He stopped for only a second to say, "Let go, sweetheart. Trust me and let go."

Bright lights flashed in my eyes as waves of euphoria rippled and collided throughout my body. I screamed Edward's name collapsing against the bed in astonishment. I never knew that things like these were possible. The only thing my mother ever told me was that sex was the duty of a wife and that it was not something I would enjoy. All of a sudden I felt very sorry for her.

Once my body began to quiet, he slowly crawled back up and lay down next to me on his side. His hands traced shapes on my still heaving chest and stomach.

"Oh my god, Edward! That was amazing!" I pulled him over and kissed him deeply. He stiffened a bit, not sure what my reaction really meant.

I rolled him to his back, suddenly emboldened by all he had done. I had no clue what I was doing, but I was just going to go with it and hope it turned out okay. I did my best to return the favor, completely clueless and surprised by the new things I was learning in the arms of my husband.

Soon, he was moaning my name between giving thanks to God for my existence, making me feel like I was doing a good job attempting to do my wifely duties. After a time, he grabbed my arms, pulling me on top of him as he sat up and devoured my mouth with his.

After many long minutes of kisses as our bodies caressed desperately, I found myself panting. "I want you, Edward. I want us to be together in every way a man and wife should be. I'm ready and I want you. Please make love to me, Edward."

He kissed me hard before pulling away again. "Are you sure, Love. I don't want to push you and it's going to hurt at first."

I nodded as I kissed his forehead, his eyes, his nose, his cheeks, and his lips before he wrapped me tightly in his arms and rolled me over to lie beneath him. He worshipped me all over once more, bringing for the amazing and unexpected sensations once more. When he finally made our union complete, I tensed at the painful, slightly burning intrusion. He stopped for a moment every time he would sense that the pain was bothering me, so caring and considerate as he caressed my face and kissed my lips apologizing repeatedly for the pain I was having to endure. The pain during the process of getting there brought tears to my eyes, but once we were completely united, it felt sort of good. I felt...complete. It was as if finally two pieces were brought together to create a whole.

We began moving together as a single entity, losing all concept of where one of us began and the other ended. We were both sticky with sweat as we moved as one, moaned each other's names in the darkness of our honeymoon suite. We whispered vows of love and devotion as he loved me, leaving me panting and moaning as I felt my muscles tensing in reaction to his actions.

Eventually our actions reached a fever pitch sending us both spiraling in euphoria. Blood rushed to my head and I could hear my heartbeat rushing in my ears at the utter unexpectedness of our completion.

We collapsed together as we held each other close on our wedding bed. I was now his, legally, emotionally, and physically. I would spend the rest of my life loving every inch of him every single day that I could.

o~O~o

We fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms and that is how we were when I woke up to the bright sun streaming through the slit of the curtain. I sighed again and trailed my hand down his body, enjoying the landscape of his well defined body. I saw his mouth break into my crooked grin before his eyes opened up to meet mine.

"Good morning, Mrs. Cullen."

"Good morning, Mr. Cullen."

"Did you sleep well?"

I sighed, "Best night of my life, before and after I actually fell asleep."

He smiled as he pulled me on top of him, running his hands up and down my body as I rocked against the rock hard muscle that belonged to me and only me. I had five days to spend with him in our honeymoon suite, trying not to think of the inevitable goodbye we faced before us, but I had the love of my life. I was his and he was mine, and I knew he was coming back to me. God wouldn't give him to me now just to snatch him away. Surely, God wouldn't be that cruel.

I settled onto his chest, kissing his lips, before diving in to explore him with my tongue. I pulled away when my lungs started to burn.

"I love you, my wonderful husband."

"I love YOU, my beautiful wife."

I gasped as he entered me and so we began the first day of the rest of our lives.

_**Author's Note: I did a little revising and fixing of the errors I found. I didn't have a beta for this, so I had a lot to fix. Anyway, I hope you all stick with me through this, even if it won't be quite the smut-filled romp that my last story was. LOL. I have some pretty good ideas, and if this works like I expect it to, it will be a very emotional rollercoaster with a few twists and turns with a touch of feminist chutzpa to go with it, but I can't bear to end a story without some sort of pleasant resolution. I hope you stick with me and see where we end up going!**_


	2. Shaking off the Dust

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, nor shall I make any money from this, so please don't sue me…no copyright infringement is intended.**

_**Author's Note: Sorry about the confusion about chapter 2. I uploaded the revised first chapter before deleting the old one and thus you got emails saying chapter 2 was up when it wasn't. Sorry… Anyway, on with chapter two. I hope you like it!!!**_

_**(I do have a short lemony scene here, but it's very vague and not overly detailed, but I still put the little symbol things before and after the most detailed part if you wish to skip)**_

**2. Shaking off the Dust and Looking to the Future**

After he took me to heaven again that first morning, we both fell back asleep in the luxury of our deliciously soft cloud-like bed. I'm not sure how long we had been asleep the second time when I woke up to the sound of the phone ringing in the living area of our suite, which I had only barely seen as we entered on our way to the bedroom.

I whimpered, rolling over onto my side as I felt Edward's warmth leave the bed, a cold chill invading the space next to me. I whined again, burrowing myself deeper under the blankets. I was almost asleep again when I heard Edward's raised voice, the typically soft velvety nature of his intonation sharp with irritation.

"Would you please stop and listen to me? It's not like that."

He huffed as the person on the other line interrupted before his voice grew even terser as he cut in again. "You don't even know her. I thought you were the one who always told me not to place judgment on someone until you have met them in person and given them a true chance. You haven't even met her yet, so you shouldn't make assumptions, which are untrue. Bella is not like that at all."

My heart felt heavy as I listened to him arguing with a loved one over me. Was I really worth all of the problems he was already facing? Suddenly, I began to question our decision the day before. For me it was the best decision of my life. In this arrangement I had everything to gain, but I worried that Edward's rewards were maybe not as abundant.

"For your information, _father_," I cringed at the angry sentiment he placed in the way he emphasized to whom he was speaking, "she didn't even know about the family's money until after I asked her to marry me and she had agreed. A few minutes later, she started to worry about the cost of the ring and I explained to her that it wasn't an issue and revealed my civilian occupation. The last thing my Bella would ever do is marry for the money."

I still felt horrible that he was fighting with his parents over me, but I couldn't help the smile that graced my lips when I heard him defend me. He had only known me two short weeks, and yet, he knew me better than people that I had known for years did.

I heard his pacing stop before a loud slam sounded in the next room. "I hope you do come. You and mother should both catch the first flight out here and see for yourself what an amazing woman I have finally found to make my wife, but you absolutely will not find a way to annul this marriage. It was legal, binding, and consummated. You, my dear father, don't have a leg to stand on. This is over and done with and nothing will change my mind about my decision. I hope that you do come and meet my lovely wife before I ship out. You have four days."

I heard the unmistakable sound of the receiver slamming down on the housing of the phone before the entire device was slammed so forcefully onto the table that it made the bells inside release a hollow ding. I heard another huff followed by the sound of him plopping into a chair, the feet making a high pitched squeaking sound as it slid across the marble parquet flooring.

I sighed, gathering the sheet from the bed around me like a toga and padding quietly to the doorway to the main living area. I did my best to ignore the nagging ache in my legs and groin from our activities over the last twenty four hours or so. I pushed the door open quietly, peeking out to see my frustrated husband sitting in a chair across the room, his elbows resting on his knees and his head cradled in his hands, tugging furiously at the short bronze tendrils.

My heart tugged in my chest once more before my body instinctually crossed the room to his side. He looked up with a sad smile as I reached him, His hands crossing across his legs as they fell limply from his hair. Kneeling by his knees, I placed my free hand not holding my sheet on his forearm, rubbing gently.

"I take it that your father discovered things before you could speak to him and was unhappy?"

He scoffed, his eyes softening as he gazed at me, his right hand drifting out to tuck a frizzy lock of my tangled hair behind my ear before stroking my cheek. "Unhappy would be an understatement, but I know he'll come around eventually. He was just caught off guard. He is just worried that you seduced me for my money and social status. Once he and mother get here, listen to the whole story of how we got together, and get to know you, they'll understand."

The love in his eyes as he stroked my cheek made my heart melt. "You are so incredibly beautiful, my Bella. How did I ever get so lucky?"

I smiled, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair before standing up. His hands immediately shifted to my hips, his thumbs rubbing tiny circles on my hip bones before tugging me down to sit crosswise in his lap. His eyes still shone with love, but now held a darkened lustful look as well. He leaned in, kissing me softly, his tongue gently caressing the soft flesh of my lower lip before dipping in to massage mine.

I moaned, arching myself closer to him as I wrapped my fingers in into the soft fine hair on his head, doing my best to tug him closer. His hand slipped under the opening of the sheet, skimming the still naked flesh of my stomach when a loud knock at the door took us both my surprise. He moaned, lifting me and settling me on the chair to go answer the door.

I whimpered at the loss as he slowly walked away from me to answer the door wearing nothing but his tan uniform trousers and a white sleeveless undershirt. I hopped up to hide in the bedroom, peeking through the doorway to continue watching my husband from a more discrete location considering my attire. I felt the tingling in my abdomen grow more intense as I watched his muscles clench and release as he walked away from me, turning the knob and opening the door. He gestured for the server wearing a fancy jacket that looked as though it could have been worn by Napoleon, paired with a small pill box hat, to enter the room with a large cart overflowing with all types of food.

Edward tipped the waiter, closing the door behind him and turning back to see me spying from the bedroom with a wry smile. "Come on, my love. It's time to eat."

I stumbled out of the bedroom to gaze at the feast before us in amazement. The cart had plates full of pancakes, breakfast meats, and fresh fruit, as well as what appeared to be fresh butter and whipped cream. There was also a selection of juices and a carafe of hot coffee.

"My word, Edward. Do you think we have enough? I mean, do we have the entire pacific fleet to feed as well?"

He laughed, walking to my side to hug my waist, kissing my neck softly. "We haven't eaten since lunch yesterday, my beautiful bride. I figured we would probably both be starving."

I hummed in acknowledgement as I grabbed a thick piece of bacon from the tray, taking a bite, loving the salty flavor. He smiled, kissing my temple before walking to the other side to grab a plate and pile a few pancakes, slathering them with butter and drenching them in a blueberry based syrup. I followed his lead, choosing strawberries and whipped cream for my toppings before following him to the dining table a few feet away.

I nodded, accepting his offer to pour me a coffee as I opened my set of linen wrapped silverware and began cutting my pancakes. As I cut, I started thinking about the events of our morning and it made me begin to wonder when exactly he had ordered this feast.

"Edward, when did you order this? We were both woken by the phone this morning, and then we were still talking when the food arrived…so, when did you arrange all of his."

He smiled, reaching across the table to take my hand, rubbing his thumb across mine casually. "I set this up when I made our reservations, sweetheart. I thought it might be possible that we would lose track of all time in here." He smirked at me, making me blush and duck my eyes. He chuckled a little more before reaching to tip my eyes back up to his. "You're my wife and this is our honeymoon…we're supposed to get distracted in those ways, love."

I sighed and nodded gently with a timid smile. I still wasn't used to being allowed to DO that yet. He chuckled again. "I made an arrangement that if we hadn't ordered on our own before ten this morning, that this order was to be delivered by eleven."

I gasped, looking around for some kind of time piece. "Eleven? Is it really that late?"

He snickered; nodding as he hungrily scooped another bite of pancake in his mouth.

I looked around in awe before looking back at him with a bright smile growing on my face. "So, I've officially been your wife for over a day now."

He lowered his fork, smiling back deviously as I giggled. He reached across the table, grabbing my fork to lift a bite of my strawberries and cream to my mouth. I opened accepting the offering, closing my eyes at the flavor combined with the amorous sensation that his feeding me provided. I heard a gentle rumble come from his chest before he leaned across the space, claiming my lips in a passionate kiss. Thus was how, just near twenty four hours after losing my virginity, I had my first experience with making love while using food.

o~O~o

It started simple enough, feeding one another while kissing afterward to share the flavor of the food combined with our mate. We managed to ingest enough to nourish our bodies before Edward completely digressed, taking a large strawberry and dipping it in the cream before running it along my neck, shoulders, and the tops of my breasts that had begun peeking above the sheet after the knot I had tied in it began to loosen. He proceeded to lick it off slowly, somehow discovering a new set of noises inside of me that I never knew I was capable of making.

It fell into an event that would be considered nothing short of debauchery if we were not yet married. I have to say, I had never been more grateful for the ring on my finger and the license locked in the hotel safe than when I found myself laying atop the large dining table as Edward began experimenting with various syrups and fruits smeared across the most intimate of places. Eventually he chose to climb onto the table at my side, giving me the opportunity to return the favor using the whipped cream on his well defined body before we fell into a sticky, slightly uncomfortable, and yet wholly unforgettable union on the table, followed by another wet and soapy union in the shower.

o~O~o

During the shower, Edward began to catch on that my body was beginning to have quite a difficult time keeping up with what our hormones and hearts wanted most. The remorse in his eyes broke my heart as he apologized profusely for not considering that I would be in pain. He washed my body in a most reverent way before drying me slowly and carrying me to our bed. He sat me gingerly on the edge before crossing to my small bag to find something for me to wear. He looked through with a sigh before walking to the closet where several of his button down shirts hung crisply on hangers in preparation for our stay. He tugged one off, carrying it to me and helping me slide into the far too large shirt. He chuckled as he buttoned up the front and rolled up the sleeves to expose my hands.

Once I was at least somewhat dressed, he led me back to the main living area to the couch next to the phone. "Well, love, my parents are already fully aware of the events of the past couple of days. I think it is time that we call yours."

He grumbled, shifting slightly in his seat and I looked over at him in confusion, resting my hand on his. He took a deep breath and frowned deeply again. "I really didn't do my full duty. I was so head over heels for you, I didn't even think about protocol. I should have called and asked your father's permission. What on earth is he going to think of me?"

I smiled at him, drifting my hand up to cup his chin, forcing him to look my way. "I love you so much, do you know that? Don't worry about Daddy. He's an easy going guy and as far as he's concerned, I'm no longer his worry. It's my Mama you're going to have to worry about. She's…uhm…spirited?" I sighed, shaking my head. "I have no better word to describe her without being dishonorable to her. Let's just say that she has very specific ideas about things and she has a hard time changing those ideas."

I lifted my hands to my face, rubbing my eyes as I shook my head. I felt Edward's hand come up and grasp my wrists, pulling them down and tipping my face to his. "What's wrong, love?"

I groaned. "There's one thing that she's really going to like and will probably change her tune completely, but after the conversation you had with your father, it's going to sound horrible to say out loud."

He frowned at me, cocking his head and gesturing for me to continue.

I sighed, resting my hands over my mouth before looking back up with tears in my eyes. I really hoped that saying this out loud wouldn't make him start to believe that I was what his father suggested. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, hoping that he would understand.

"Every mother, and mine even more than most, is most concerned with finding a man who can provide for their daughter's needs and future…uh…financially."

He looked at me, understanding slowly gracing his features, but his expression gave nothing away and I began to get nervous.

"My mama was convinced that I would never make anything out of myself. Where Alice, Rose, and I are from, in Kansas, there wasn't much for anybody as far as jobs or supporting yourself, and that went double for women. You've heard of the dust bowl, right?"

Edward's brows narrowed as he nodded sadly, reaching out to take my hand, holding it in his, and massaging the back with this thumb as I spoke. I smiled, feeling so much love and comfort from that tiny action.

"Well, that's where we were born. When the topsoil blew away, very few people had anything, and those who did seemed to have everything. Rosalie's father was one of the lucky ones. All of us girls, but especially Rosalie, weren't ever expected to marry for love. We were supposed to marry for security. It wasn't until after Rose's supposed securely ever after ended in her being hurt beyond all repair that we realized that we would never have a real life in Kansas. We were smart and determined, and the three of us together managed to get enough money to pack up all that we had and move here. It was scary and hard, but we did it. We have been living here for five years now. We worked hard and eventually managed to get some more schooling. We learned the basics to get the jobs we have at secretary school, but we all wanted more. We worked too hard to escape being nothing not to. Anyway, I'm way off of my subject. My mother will be irate unless we tell her about your background. It's up to you. Honestly, I don't care if they like it or not. I was always a second class citizen in that house, considered a burden. You have no idea how good it feels to be standing on my own in New York City. That's why I don't want to stop working, Edward. I want to be someone I can be proud of and show them all that I am so much more than they ever thought."

The longer I spoke, the more entranced Edward seemed to become. At times, his eyes shimmered with unshed tears, others they grew hard and fierce, but never once did I see disdain or disappointment which made my heart soar. When I was done, he turned toward me, tugging my shoulders to look at him.

"Good God, Bella. If I didn't already think you were an angel sent from heaven, then I would now. You are simply astounding and I am so proud of you. I trust you…completely…and I leave it entirely to your own discretion if you wish to tell them about my family's money. If you don't want to tell them, then don't, but if you feel that you want to, then by all means, do. It's no longer just my money, sweetheart. It is our money and our future…OURS. Do you understand? All I have is now yours."

I nodded, tears streaming down my cheeks as he swiped uselessly at them with this thumbs. He leaned in, kissing my forehead, my cheeks, and my eyes before finally kissing my lips. We relaxed into the soft gentle kiss before finally breaking away as I melted into his warm embrace. I honestly didn't know how I would let him go in a few short days. It was like hell on earth to even think on it, I could only imagine how much worse it would be once he was gone.

Not too long after the girls and I left, my family left too. They migrated with not much more than the clothes on their backs to Ohio, where Daddy found a job at a tank factory. They now had a small house and were doing about as well as anyone could during the depression. They even had a telephone in their house, even if they did have to share the line.

After a few minutes, I finally picked up the receiver, dialing the party line that would ring at my parents' house and all of the neighboring houses. Mrs. Grazer picked up the line, sending her son to jog the half block to my parents' place to tell them to answer the line.

I could still hear Mrs. Grazer eavesdropping, as well a couple more old biddies, as I told my parents the news. As expected, my mother completely overreacted screeching about how I had thrown my life away on a poor GI who was going to die in Germany and leave me a penniless war widow at the age of twenty five. I tried every way I could to get her to stop going on and on, trying not to tell the truth, but finding it hard not to.

It wasn't until she asked where I was calling from and how I could afford to stay on the phone so long that I finally had to admit the truth since I wasn't about to straight out lie to her. The second the words Waldorf Astoria left my mouth, dead silence filled the line, followed with questions about illegal mobsters and prostitution. She was yelling so loudly that Edward heard the whole thing.

When she started ranting about me selling my body for money, rage flamed in Edward's eyes as he yanked the phone away from me and began speaking to my mother, asking her not to disrespect his wife in such a crude and unseemly manner. It was an epic battle of veiled insults between the consummate polite gentleman and the bible thumping church pew warmer. Neither of them ever said one crass word or outright negative claim about the other, and yet both hurled incessant barbs until finally Edward asked her if she remembered what his last name was.

For the second time in the half hour long conversation, the line went silent before she asked the ever present question. Edward admitted it openly and instantly her tune changed to sickeningly sweet. It made my stomach turn cold as she tried to sweet talk Edward, in hopes that some of his family's affluence might trickle down to her. She always spoke vehemently against high heels and make up, but when it came down to it, my mother always had dreams of a different life…a better life. All of my life, her bitterness had been directed at me, a physical manifestation of everything she lost when I was born, and then after I ran away, of everything she wanted to be. Jealousy over her lost youth became jealousy over me living the life she always wanted, but in the end, it all boiled down to bitter, jealousy and hatred.

All my life, my number one goal was to be the total opposite of her. Whatever good or bad in my life, I would not blame others for my shortcomings. We finished the conversation, finally hanging up the phone forty five minutes after it had begun. My stomach boiled at the thought of how much that call would cost Edward. He took one look at my face and turned me to him once again, resting his forehead against mine.

"All that I have is yours. Don't forget that. Now that that is finished, how about if we take a little time to relax and enjoy being a married couple together for a little while longer before I take you out to introduce this town to the beautiful new Mrs. Cullen tonight?"

I smiled at him, nibbling my lip nervously with a nod. We lounged around the rest of the afternoon, curled up together listening to the radio and reading books and the newspaper that had been delivered to our suite door. It was nice to relax together like a regular married couple on a Saturday morning.

As evening grew closer, he smiled, leaning in to kiss me before ushering me off to the bathroom to get cleaned up. Unfortunately, I didn't have Alice to help me wash and set my hair, but thankfully Alice had the foresight to send several of my nicest outfits along with matching hats so I could get away with doing a simple twist and putting the hat on, hiding the fact that I didn't have any curl or volume on top.

An hour later, I stepped out of the bedroom in a royal blue tea length wrap dress with three quarter length sleeves. The dress was a soft stain like material that draped nicely across my midriff tying into a bow on my left hip. Paired with a pair of small heels and my ever helpful hat, I was ready to go out on the town as the wife of one of the most affluent men currently on American soil.

As I stepped out, I smiled when I found Edward dressed to the nines in his uniform, brass buttons glinting in the light of the room. He had his cap placed slightly off center on his head as he turned toward me, propping himself on the black baby grand piano by the window. His crooked smile made my heart race as his eyes drifted up and down my frame. He pushed off, crossing to my side and lifting a glove covered hand to his lips.

"You, my dear Mrs. Cullen, are a vision in blue. I can't wait to show you off tonight."

I giggled, feeling a blush rise in my cheeks as he smiled down at me. I still couldn't believe that this perfect man was not only my husband, but was proud of me. Yes, I was an independent woman, but always lurking deep inside was that beaten down, dust covered girl from Kansas who never had anybody but her two best friends to believe in her. It was the continuous echo of her sad, self conscious words in my mind as I took Edward's arm and let him lead me toward the elevator, his head held high and his chest puffed up almost comically, that kept me questioning if I was truly enough.

Edward led me through the lobby, heads turning all around us to watch us cross. I expected to see looks of disdain or superiority on their faces, but to my surprise, they all smiled wistfully toward us, as though they were viewing us as icons of young love. Edward led me directly to a cab waiting out front as the hotel doorman opened the back door of the cab for us to enter. Edward thanked him before telling the cabbie to take us to Tavern on the Green in Central Park, and I nearly choked on my own tongue.

_**Author's Note: Okay, so not the smoothest first 24 hours of marriage, but important. Yeah, this was all fast and they have A LOT to learn about each other…and did you really expect his parents to be all cool about it just yet? I mean he is REALLY loaded. Of course they're gonna freak. Don't worry though, Carlisle and Esme will see the light soon enough :)**_

_**Thanks to my ever present beta AgoodWITCH for her ever helpful revision work, catching my tense changing problems and dropped words. Yeah, I do that often….**_


	3. Conundrum

**Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters. Copyright infringement is not intended.**

_**Author's Note: You guys astound me. In less than 24 hours the story alerts for this story tripled and the favorites doubled, not to mention the reviews! I went to see a movie with my friend last night (When in Rome was really cute and funny. We cracked up several times) and when I got home I had 180 emails in my inbox between reviews and story alerts and favorite notification emails. I was in total shock! Almost all of the feedback has been nothing but positive. Just to let you guys know now, the only EPOV we will see will be from Edward's letters. **_**If I do as I plan now, this story will be exclusively from Bella's POV unless I change my mind.**

**Thank you to our beta gal…AgoodWITCH.**

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**3. Conundrum**

I woke up in Edward's arms, relishing joyfully in his warm manly scent. I smiled, cuddling closer into his side, nuzzling my nose into the thin smattering of bronze hair that peppered his warm, hard chest. Last night had been magical, even if it had been a bit of a culture shock. Edward had taken me on dates to many amazing clubs and places over the past two weeks, but nothing prepared me for the amazing opulence of Tavern.

The smell as we walked through the door was more decadent and mouth watering than any I had ever encountered. I did my best not to gaze openly at the amazing display all around me of fine dark woods, and shimmering crystal chandeliers. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that every person dining this evening was dressed to the nines and I suddenly felt inadequate in my homemade dress. Yes, Alice was a magician with a sewing needle, recreating just about any dress she saw on the city street with near perfect precision, but I couldn't help but feel that these well to do people were painfully aware that my dress was nothing more than a cheap imitation of the clothing they wore.

We were led through another room before we were led to a table next to a set of large windows that looked out at the park beyond. Edward beamed at me throughout dinner as I did my best to present myself as a wife that he could be proud of, as opposed to embarrassed of.

The dinner was heavenly. I couldn't help but notice Edward's concerned expression at my stiff disposition throughout dinner as I tried to remember all of the social graces I had read about in the book Alice had borrowed from the library a few years back. I held myself tall and straight in my chair, trying to keep my posture rigid and regal like the ladies around me wearing fine silks and large diamonds. I struggled to remember which order I was supposed to use my silverware, fumbling as I tried to gaze at a nearby table to emulate what they were doing.

After about ten minutes of this, Edward got up from his seat to kneel at my side, taking both my hands in his and shifting my body to face his. He seemed to not care one single bit that he was creating a bit of a spectacle of himself. He leaned in close, brushing his thumb across my chin.

"Please don't change who you are just because you think you have to fit in with this crowd. I love you for who you are, not how well you can act like a stuck up socialite. I don't have much time with you before I have to leave, and I would really like to spend that time with the love of my life, not some high society china doll, okay? If you're not comfortable here, we can get up and go get a hot dog from a vendor and have a picnic, just as long as I'm spending that time with you."

I tried to fight back the tears that were trying to push themselves from between my lashes and failed miserably. He frowned, wiping away a couple with his thumbs before leaning forward to kiss my cheek.

"I love you, Mrs. Cullen…just the way you are. I am so proud to have you with me tonight, so please just enjoy spending this time together."

I smiled slightly and nodded, reaching up to rest my hand on his as it hovered by my cheek. With one last kiss on the cheek, he stood up and sat back in his chair, reaching across the table to hold my hand as he took another bite of his entrée. I took a deep breath and relaxed a bit more into my seat, slowly eating my delicious food and just savoring what little time we still had.

After dinner, Edward offered to go dancing, but I requested we return to our room. He looked worried, but when I smiled at him with a suggestive wink he beamed back, ordering the cabbie to hurry. When we got back to our suite, I gratefully kicked off my painful high heeled shoes and assisted Edward in removing his jacket, telling him to roll up his sleeves and get comfortable.

Meanwhile, I crossed to the beautiful brand new phonograph sitting atop the wooden credenza, beside which rested a selection of the new vinyl type discs that held the recorded music. I flipped through the selections, smiling when I came across a Cole Porter album. I always loved Cole Porter and daydreamed of dancing with a handsome man when listening to it on Rose's phonograph when we were younger. I gingerly slid the disc shaped recording from the paper sleeve, setting it carefully on the turntable and placing the needle on the edge of the black material. Soon the sounds of _Night and Day_ filled the air.

I turned with a smile to find Edward watching just a few feet away with a contented smile on my face. He stepped slightly closer, offering me his hand gallantly. I took it, allowing him to twirl me into his arms where we swayed and turned seamlessly to the music. Soon our dancing turned to kissing, which turned to touching, and before we had gotten through the second song, we began navigating our way toward our bedroom where we spent our remaining waking hours savoring one another's bodies completely.

Edward was so exhausted, he didn't even stir when I rose from bed and took a shower in the bathroom. By the time I had finished dressing in my work suit with my hair pinned in the prim twist I always wore to the office, I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to get to see him before I had to go into the office. Technically, I was supposed to go back to work this morning, but my mission was to convince them to allow me the few more days off to spend with him before he leaves for months and months. When I had called the day of the wedding, they allowed me two days, but I couldn't bear the thought of having to leave him while I went into the awful office knowing I had so little time with him. I wrote a quick note explaining what I had to do before taking the second key to our room and rushing out to hopefully take care of my errand as quickly as possible and return to him.

****

Two hours later, I tried to hide my tears as I pushed my way back through the lobby of our hotel. I only had until the end of the lunch period to get back to the building or I was fired. Every time the choice before me echoed in my mind, I could hear Mrs. Salinger's ultimatum in my ear. "Bella, there will be no more time off for you. I will give you until the end of the lunch period to take care of the rest of your business. If you haven't returned by then, you shall be summarily dismissed and you can forget a letter of reference from Hannity and Associates."

I know what my heart wanted. I couldn't bear the thought of losing another second with him between now and when he would leave, but if I lost my job then what would I do? I needed to be able to support myself until he returned home. There was no way I could walk around with my head held high knowing everyone was labeling me a gold digger behind my back. I wanted to be a woman that Edward and I could both be proud of…I just couldn't lose my job.

Feeling the flood of emotions overwhelm me, I ducked into the restroom in the lobby so that I wouldn't make a scene, my sobs breaking free in the enclosed space with semi privacy. I lifted my hands to my face, sinking into a chair in the lounge area of the powder room, my chest convulsing with my heartache. After a few moments, I was surrounded by a calming floral scent as a soft hand rested on my shoulder.

"Are you okay, dear? Can I help with anything?"

I jerked in surprise, wiping at my eyes as I looked up at the beautiful middle aged woman with extremely kind, compassionate eyes.

I sniffed, pulling out my handkerchief and dabbing under my eyes, feeling embarrassed that I must look absolutely atrocious. "I…I'm okay, ma'am. I…I just have a difficult choice to make and I can't bear either option."

She rubbed my back gently as she scooted slightly closer. "Now, now, dear. It can't be all that difficult. Would you like to tell me about it?"

I sighed, enjoying the motherly touch from a stranger that was more comforting than any I had ever received from my own mother. "Really, in the end it isn't a choice. I just don't know what I'm going to do after he's gone."

She furrowed her brow, lost in my fluctuating train of thought as I began speaking as if she were aware of what was going on. I chuckled, shaking my head. "Sorry, you must be totally lost. Um, I am a newlywed, my husband leaves in just a couple of days and I've just returned from asking my workplace for the days off, even offering to work overtime to make up for it. Unfortunately, they just told me that I will be fired if I'm not back in an hour and a half. I can't bear the thought of losing any time with him, but at the same time, I need my job to support myself until he comes back for me."

The kind woman smiled, massaging my shoulder gently. "It sounds to me like you've made your decision. In the end, what is most important…love or work? I'm sure you could find another job, but it may be years before your husband can return to you."

I nodded emphatically, smiling through my tears at her. I'm sure one, way or another, I could find another job. It might not be as nice of a position as my current one, but surely I could find something.

"Thank you, ma'am. You are absolutely right. If all else fails, I can always get a job in a diner or something. He's definitely more important than that pompous Mr. Hannity and his almighty associates."

She raised an eyebrow, "As in Tom Hannity, from the Legal firm?"

I nodded. I was surprised when I saw her look turn into a smirk. "I happen to know Mr. Hannity personally, perhaps a phone call from my husband might persuade him to make a call down to personnel and straighten a thing or two out."

I gasped, looking up at her through wide, surprised eyes. "Oh, Ma'am, I couldn't ask you to do that. I wouldn't want to put you out or make you abuse a friendship."

She interrupted me, holding her hand up. "Please, it would make me happy to help. Why don't you tell me your name and I'll have my husband make the call as soon as we're done here today." She grabbed a small tablet of paper and a pen from her handbag, preparing to write.

"Just tell me your name and your position and I'll make sure that you get the time you need, sweetheart."

I sighed, casting a quick prayer heavenward for this angelic woman with such a kind heart that she would be willing to help a total stranger.

"My name is Isabella Swan…um, I mean Cullen, ma'am. I'm the secretary for Jr. Vice President James Damon."

She never got past my name in her notes as her pen stopped mid scratch. She looked up at me with surprised eyes before they softened into an even deeper kindness. A small smile peeked onto her lips before slowly spreading into a much wider smile.

"I am so glad I met you this way, Mrs. Cullen. I would be more than happy to help you sort out your employment difficulties. Let's get you to your husband for now though. I'll ride in the lift with you and walk you to your door."

I smiled up at her gratefully. "Thank you so much, ma'am. Might I be so bold as to ask your name so I can thank God for you by name tonight when I say my prayers?"

She snickered, stepping up to my side and wrapping her arm in mine, tugging me closer with a surprising affection. "My name is Esme, dear. Mrs. Esme Cullen."

I gasped, my eyes bugging out as I coughed a little, thanks to the sudden inhale. She chuckled next to me, patting my back sweetly before taking my arm again and leading me toward the elevators.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Things are going to be just fine."

I took a deep breath hoping she was right.

****

We could hear the shouting long before we ever reached the door. I whimpered a little as Esme rubbed a soothing hand over my forearm.

"Trust me, Bella, this will be fine. You have me in your corner now, dear."

I sucked in a ragged breath before reaching out for the door handle with the key, pausing before I reached the keyhole.

"Do you think I should use the key, or should we knock so that they aren't caught off guard?"

Esme scoffed. "You are Mrs. Cullen and this is your honeymoon suite. You, my dear, do not have to knock."

I smiled before sliding the brass key into the hole and slowly turning it before pushing the lever to open the latch. The door opened slowly, making the loud bellowing sounds from within grow even louder.

"Edward, you are an important man. Your name and face are well known. Even if you didn't tell her, that doesn't mean that she didn't recognize you and is simply feigning ignorance."

I looked over at Esme a little worried she might agree, but she smiled back at me completely unfazed. The men still hadn't even realized we had entered the suite.

"Exactly! I am an important man who has the sense to negotiate and complete multimillion dollar business deals before lunch. I'm quite certain that I am enough discernment to make good decisions and I will tell you right now that marrying Bella was the best decision of my whole damn life! You do not know her. You have not met her, but once you do, you will see that you have completely misjudged her before she's had a chance to make any impression on you at all. She is a hard working, smart, caring woman. You have it all wrong!"

I heard a groan before the other man's voice replied even louder. "Do you even hear yourself, Edward? How could you know all of this about her after two weeks? You can barely get to know someone at all in such a short amount of time."

It was then that Esme cleared her voice, making our presence known and speaking up on the subject. "That's where I believe you are wrong, my dear. Hello, Edward darling. I seem to have made my first meeting with your lovely wife by accident in the ladies washroom downstairs. I discovered her in tears in the powder room and upon carrying on a conversation with her learned a great deal about her character before ever even finding out her name. As much as I was ill prepared to say so an hour ago, I can now say that I am very pleased with your judgment, son."

Edward's eyes landed on me the second he was aware of our presence and had rushed to my side in concern as his mother relayed her speech. He lifted a hand to my cheek, rubbing at the redness left behind from my tears only minutes before.

Meanwhile, Mr. Cullen stared at his wife in astonishment. "Esme…what…how can you say that? You just met the woman a few moments ago in a bathroom. Is she some sort of hypnotist?"

Esme shook her head, crossing the room to her husband's side. "Carlisle, did you mean it when you said that you trust me more than anyone in the world?"

"Of course I did, my love."

She smirked, gripping his arm and directing him to sit next to her on one of the sofas. "Then sit down and listen to what your daughter-in-law has to say. Once she's done, then you will have a chance to ask your questions. "

He sighed, running his hands through his well groomed, white blonde hair with a nod.

As they got seated, Edward led me to the other couch, his focus still solely on me. I wasn't even sure he heard his parents' exchange at all. "Are you okay, my love? What's wrong? Was there a problem at work?"

I sighed, nodding abruptly. "We should talk about it a little later. You need to work things out with your father first."

He shook his head. "No, you're my priority. What happened, sweetheart?"

I took a deep breath before I told him about what had happened at work and the ultimatum. I continued on with my crying session in the ladies room and how Esme comforted me even though she didn't know me, offering to call Mr. Hannity on my behalf before she ever knew my name. He smirked knowingly toward his mother as I told about her kindness, rubbing his thumb across mine as we held hands between us as I continued to tell of the events all the way up to our interrupting their argument.

He sighed, running his hand up to cup my neck. "Forget the job, Bella. You told me how horribly they treat you there anyway. I already told you, what's mine is yours. I can set up an account for you to live off of while I'm gone."

I felt my anger and embarrassment burn crimson on my cheeks as I sucked in a deep breath, narrowing my eyes at him. "Edward Anthony Cullen, have you not been listening to a single word I have said to you the past two days? I am not going to live off your money while you're gone. I've survived in this city for five years while supporting myself by sharing the bills with Alice and Rose, and I will continue to do so until you come home…end of discussion."

I caught a motion out of the corner of my eye, looking up just in time to see Esme's elbow jab sharply into Mr. Cullen's side. He let out a pained cough, looking over at her as she cast him an expression that silently screamed 'I told you so.'

Edward huffed, rubbing his hand across his neck. "I don't understand your aversion to this. You are my wife now. If I weren't shipping out you would move in with me and let me support you, so why can't I support you financially when I can't be here, and feel an even stronger need to do so, since I will be unable to care for you otherwise?"

I smiled, shifting toward him to run my hand along his cheek with a sigh. "You are an honorable man, Edward Cullen. I appreciate that about you so much. I really don't know how to explain it. I guess it's a matter of pride. I promise when you come home to me, I will move to Chicago with you or wherever you want to go and I'll let you provide for me as you wish, but until then I need to live my life here, with Rose and Alice, who are the only true family I feel like I have besides you."

He raised an eyebrow. "You can still live with Alice and Rose. I wouldn't dare ask you to leave them when you'll need them most, but maybe we could get the three of you out of that tiny apartment at the edge of Chinatown you're currently living in at the very least. Please, Bella, it would make me feel so much better to know that at least my money was keeping you a little safer."

I sighed shaking my head. "I won't take a penny of your money until you come home."

I was surprised when I heard a voice across the room. "Nonsense." What surprised me more than anything was the fact that it wasn't the feminine voice that I was expecting. I looked over to see Carlisle frowning at us, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, to the both of you for how I've acted. My wife is an excellent judge of character, as is my son. Obviously, I've jumped the gun here just a tad. I apologize, Bella. I hope you understand though…" he paused, his brow furrowed as he tried to construct his thought into a coherent statement.

I completed it for him though with a smile. "I do. You love him and you were worried about him. I can definitely understand. He is lucky to have a family that cares so much." I shot a meaningful look at Edward as he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck roughly once more.

"Now, as for this work business," Esme began with a loving smile. "I think we can do better for you than working under James Damon. If I'm not mistaken, didn't Cullen Steel just open an East coast office somewhere downtown? Matter of face, I'm quite sure it's only a few blocks away from the Hannity offices. Perhaps we could find a more suitable position for Bella there." She hinted, looking meaningfully at her son whose posture grew tall as his eyes began to twinkle down at me.

I groaned anxiously. "That wouldn't be right either. I appreciate your suggestion Esme, but not only is that nepotism at its finest, but it is also unfair for a job to be taken from another candidate who needs the job when I already have one."

All three shook their heads at me in bewilderment. It was as if they were completely unaccustomed to someone saying no to them. Finally, Mr. Cullen stood from his seat, crossing to stand in front of me. I looked up shyly, not sure what to expect. He smiled down at me, extending his hand formally.

"We have not been formally introduced. I am your father-in-law, Carlisle Cullen and I do expect you to call me Carlisle."

My cheeks warmed as I reached my hand out to rest it in his. Edward sat next to me, looking like he just won the Congressional Medal of Honor or something with the amount of pride he was emanating. After a second, Carlisle released my hand before kneeling in front of me.

"Bella, I appreciate your need to be independent, but pride can be a dangerous thing. It has led many people into great peril. You are now my son's wife. It is now his God-given responsibility to care for you in every way that he can. For the time being, circumstances will not allow him to take care of you as he would like, but you should at the very least allow him to help you move into a better neighborhood and provide you with a better way to earn your keep as you are so determined to do. This is as much for him as it is for you. Do you want him going into a dogfight while distracted with worries over your safety and financial situation?"

My eyes grew wide with panic. That thought had never even occurred to me. "Oh, heavens no, I would most definitely not want that to be the case."

He looked over at Edward with a sly look of triumph on his face. "So then you'll agree to letting Edward provide for you, at least in part?"

I nodded, swallowing past the large lump now lodged in my throat. He smiled and nodded along.

"And will you also allow him to at least investigate to see if some sort of position is available at the New York office?"

I frowned, looking studiously down at my hands. I sighed before looking back up. "That still feels wrong. I shouldn't get the job just because I'm married to the CEO. It's unfair to other applicants."

He smiled at me with a devious twinkle in his eye. "I am confident that you are more than qualified, but how about if you applied for a position using your maiden name and not indicating in any way that you are a Cullen? Would you accept the job if you were hired on your own merit?"

I eyed him uncertainly. "Do you promise that there would be no unofficial coercion to ensure that I was hired for the position?" I glanced at Edward indicating that it was actually him who would have to promise. Edward smirked at me with a definitive nod.

I sighed again. "If it were completely unbiased, then yes, I would accept the position."

Carlisle smiled, rocking back on his heels before standing up. "Wonderful. Why don't you go apply right now while Edward, Esme, and I go take care of some last minute business that needs tending before Edward ships out?"

I glanced at Edward, hating the idea of leaving him again, but also knowing that if he had crucial errands anyway that we would be separated no matter what I chose to do. I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I thought it over before letting out a long, anxious sigh.

"What can it hurt? I might as well give it a try. Even before I married into this family, I had a great respect for the way Cullen Steel did business."

I got funny looks from everyone in the room as I cocked a crooked smile at them before locking eyes with Edward. "I told you the girls and I have been taking night classes to continue our education. Rosalie is studying mechanical engineering, much to the dismay of her classmates, but the school is allowing it. Alice is great with numbers; she's been studying finance. Meanwhile, I sort of found I liked the business course I took as an elective one semester. I knew nothing more than Cullen's reputation for quality first, but it was enough to wonder what it would be like to work for the new office."

I felt a little nervous, knowing that I could be making myself look guilty of everything Carlisle had been trying to accuse me of, but I wasn't going to lie. I had yet to do so with Edward and I wasn't about to start now. Edward smiled at me in wonder before leaning in to kiss me as he wrapped me in his arms.

"You never cease to amaze me, Bella Cullen. I am one very lucky man."

I scoffed out a chuckle before he kissed me again. A few tiny pecks later, he pulled away to go get dressed, leaving me alone with Esme and Carlisle. They both smiled at me before Esme crossed to my side, hugging me around the shoulders.

"I cannot express how happy I am that he found someone like you. I have never seen him so happy. Don't worry about the job. If you don't get hired on by some stroke of luck at Cullen, then we can always make that call to Hannity. We Cullen's are one of his most crucial clients. He wouldn't dare do something to make us mad. Either way, I promise you will have a job when this is said and done. Now go freshen up and get ready to put on your ideal employee face."

I hugged her tightly, so grateful to be blessed with such a wonderful woman as my mother-in-law. "Thank you, Esme, for everything."

She smiled. "Oh posh, it's the least I could do. Now run along and powder your face. We will meet you back here in a few hours. Good luck, dear."

I thanked her once more before disappearing into our bathroom to attempt to make myself look presentable again. Edward ducked in to give me one last kiss before they left, leaving me to head to the employment department at Cullen alone. I looked over my reflection one last time, making sure I looked as put together as humanly possible. I took in a deep breath, letting it out in a long sigh.

"Okay, Bella…you can do this. Go in there and make them want to hire you on the spot. Show Edward that he can be proud of his wife."

I smiled as I thought about the fact that I was his wife. I glanced down at the ring glittering on my finger a moment, wondering briefly if I should take it off for the interview. I dismissed the idea as soon as it came, knowing I couldn't ever bear to take it off, especially for an entire afternoon. With one last smile and a check of my teeth, I slid on my jacket and grabbed my pocketbook before leaving the room to grab a cab destined for the Cullen Steel offices near the financial district in Downtown Manhattan.

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_**Author's Note: Alrighty guys, I did a bit of research and it wasn't unusual for women to be allowed to take classes like the girls have. They didn't always get jobs in the fields of study, but sometimes they did. I guess the colleges looked at it as making money either way. At any rate, it wouldn't be impossible for them to study in their particular fields.**_

_**So how many of you guessed it was Esme before I made the big reveal? Most of you probably, but it was still fun. I hope you all liked the chapter. I have enjoyed writing this even more than I expected so far…of course he's still home now and it's easier. At any rate, hope you liked it and I'd love to hear some opinions!!!**_


	4. To Protect

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters from SM's Twilight. I do, however love making them human and sending them back to a different era.**

_**Author's Note: Thanks for all of the great reviews guys. I'm so thankful that my work is appreciated. I've found myself doing a lot more research than I realized I would need to do for this. While I have a pretty good grasp on the era, there are lots of things that I'm not greatly familiar with, such as food rationing, and then toward the end of the war they were even rationing nylon. For a generation where not wearing stockings was a major social no-no, that must have been difficult. Considering my predisposition to getting runs in my hose, I can only imagine how difficult that was for some women! Anyway, I'm reading away trying to get my head into the mindset of the time as much as I possibly can.**_

_**Thanks for all the alerts, reviews, and rec's you've been doing. I love seeing the numbers keep climbing! Thanks also to my ever persistent beta AgoodWITCH.**_

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**4. To Protect**

I felt the butterflies fluttering in my stomach as I stepped out of the cab. I felt guilty as I paid the driver. I should have taken the subway, but I knew that I wouldn't look as presentable when I arrived and I truly did want to put my best foot forward. I sighed, handing over the cash while promising myself I would take the subway back to the hotel.

I walked up to the double doors of the large brick building, taking one last deep breath before opening the door to the lobby. I walked up to the security desk to check in, getting a pass to take with me to the twentieth floor. I stepped into the elevator, pushing down the wrinkles in my skirt and straightening my suit jacket. I watched as the arrow slowly moved along the numbers as the elevator rose higher and higher, finally stopping on the number twenty.

The doors opened to reveal a reception area obviously still in transition, yet already looking quite clean and accommodating. Soft cream colored walls met up with a shiny dark tile on the floors. I walked up to the empty reception desk, looking around for someone to ask for directions. After a few minutes, I finally called out a quiet 'hello' down the hallway. My effort was rewarded as a cute girl with long black hair and thin wire framed glasses leaned out of a doorway into the hall with a confused look on her face.

She smiled, wiping at her head before walking down the hallway toward me with a smile. "I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting anybody to be coming in today. Can I help you?"

I smiled nervously, fidgeting with my pocketbook gripped tightly in my fingers. "I'm sorry. My name is Bella, um, Bella Swan. I was told that you might be hiring administrative staff and I was hoping I could apply."

She smiled again with a nod, leading me to her desk. "Technically we're not going to start hiring until tomorrow, but since you're here you can go ahead and fill this out and meet with our head of personnel."

I sighed, taking the little board on which she had rested a small stack of papers and a pen. "Thank you so much. I wouldn't be able to come in tomorrow. My husband leaves for Europe in two days and I don't want to miss any more time with him."

Her face grew sympathetic as she nodded, rubbing at the ring on her hand. "Yes, you don't want to miss any second you get. My husband Ben shipped out six months ago. It's hard, but we'll get through." She lifted her eyes to me again with a smile. "Well, let's hurry up and get you back home then, Bella. We mustn't leave your poor husband waiting!"

Half an hour later, I handed over my completed paperwork to Mrs. Cope, an older red headed woman with a generous build. She smiled as she looked over my paperwork with a smile. "Angela tells me you need to be getting back to your husband before he leaves. How long have you been married dear?"

I cleared my throat, feeling tears pooling in my eyes. "Just three days, ma'am. He leaves Friday."

Her eyes grew wide for a moment before she hit a button on her phone, asking Angela to see if Mr. Volturi was available before turning back to me with a big smile. "We might as well just take care of all of this at once then, Miss…or should I say Madam, so that you can hurry back to your new husband. I think you would be a prime candidate to work with Marcus Volturi, who is a Vice President at Cullen Steel and will be heading our New York office. Instead of making you sit through my questions and then another fifteen minutes with Mr. Volturi, we can just do it all right now and get you back to your new husband."

I sighed, swiping at my misty eyes as I thanked her. The phone soon rang. Mrs. Cope picked it up smiling at me as she said we would be right down. She stood up and directed me to follow her as we left her office and walked down the hallway toward a large mahogany door at the end of the hallway.

Mrs. Cope opened the door to reveal a beautiful office, still only half organized. A handsome man that appeared to be only slightly older than Edward sat behind the desk with a frown as he shuffled through papers. He looked up with a polite smile that froze for a split second before it widened into something more genuine.

Mrs. Cope and I sat in two large and extremely comfortable chairs on the far side of the large desk ornately carved from a dark shiny wood. Introductions were made before the questions began. Most of the interview was the usual questions, and thankfully, both employers seemed pleased with my answers. I explained about my business classes and how they could help me assist Mr. Volturi.

Finally, at the end of the interview, they began to probe a little more into my personal life, asking about Edward. I answered the questions vaguely as possible until Mr. Volturi lifted my application with a frown.

"This application lists you as Isabella Swan. Is this your married name?"

I swallowed feeling the butterflies rumble. "No sir, it is my maiden name. My official paperwork has not yet been processed completely, so I thought I should submit it with what still resides on my identification."

He nodded with a frown before asking to speak with me alone. Mrs. Cope looked confused, but did as he asked, leaving us alone in the large office. My heart began to pound and the fluttering in my chest grew frantic as scenarios began to flood my mind. Mr. Damon was not opposed to getting handsy with the help. I, on more than one occasion, had to retaliate to get him to back off. I certainly hoped that wouldn't happen here with an employee of my husband's company.

When the door closed loudly behind me, I jumped in my seat. Mr. Volturi looked confused before understanding graced his features.

"Please don't be frightened, Mrs. Cullen."

My eyes grew wide as I gasped. He chuckled, leaning further into his desk.

"I'm not sure why you aren't using your new last name, but I suspect it's to earn the job on your own merit. I admire that, and you honestly did before I ever saw your face, but the second you walked into the room I recognized you."

I frowned in confusion as he laughed. "Don't get upset. I was at Tavern last night when you came in with Edward. I left right away so he wouldn't know I was in town. He would be very upset to know that I'm here and I must ask you not to tell him. The last thing he needs while off fighting is to be worrying about the state of Cullen Steel. He left me in charge when he went away to begin his training almost a year ago, but once he was gone, my father and uncle made a bit a coup and shipped me off here to get out of their hair."

I gasped, raising my hand to my mouth with a frown. It really bothered me that while Edward was gone, someone was abusing their power in his company. "Oh, no. What are you going to do?"

He sighed running his hand through his hair. "There's nothing I can do right now. Without Edward there to vote, they, along with their two best friends have controlling interest it the company. They can do whatever they please, and trust me, their goals and Cullen Steel's traditional goals do not align."

He smiled as he crossed around to my side of the desk, leaning back against it while crossing his arms and legs in front of him. "They have their fingers in everything around here, which is why I am quite pleased to see you applying here, Mrs. Cullen."

I sighed raising my hand. "Please, call me Bella. And I think for the sake of everyone's sanity around here, I should be addressed as Miss Swan. Otherwise, everyone's either going to be like little live wires around me or they'll hate me on principle. I think a little anonymity might be a good thing in this case."

He smiled with a twinkle in his eye. "I was hoping you would say that. If nobody suspects you, then you might catch onto someone we should be keeping an eye on before we have a problem on our hands."

I giggled. "You mean like a spy? I'm not really sure I'm up for that, Mr. Volturi."

He chuckled. "Please, call me Marcus in casual settings. I'm thinking a little like a spy, but more than anything, I need to know that the person working at my side is interested in putting Cullen Steel and its greater good first and not some secret agenda of my not so honorable family. What better person than the woman who loves that man who, in essence, IS Cullen Steel. Edward is the epitome of all we stand for…or at least usually stand for. If he chooses you as his life mate, then I am definitely willing to put my trust in you as my right hand. What do you say, Bella?"

I blinked slowly at him as I tried to process all he had to say. I couldn't do much for Edward, but if I could help his friend keep his business running like he would like in at least some degree then I would be at least doing something for him. I smiled sheepishly at Marcus before standing up and extending my hand to his.

"It would be an honor, Marcus. Anything for Edward."

He nodded with a smile. "Bella, I have a feeling that you and I are going to get along just fine."

He led me back to Mrs. Cope's office where I filled out a few more forms and was given my employee identification. My job would not officially start until the following Wednesday since Marcus had to go back to Chicago for a meeting early next week, but I was asked to come in starting Monday to help finish setting up the office and settling myself in my own space so I would be prepared to start in bright and early Wednesday morning.

I was smiling as I left the building, catching the first subway train headed back toward the hotel. When I walked in everyone was waiting in the living area, smiles on their faces.

"You look happy, dear." Esme stated causally as she sipped on a drink in a fancy crystal glass. "I take it things went well?"

I sighed happily, crossing to where Edward stood to greet me, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"That it did. I was hired to work for the head of the New York office."

Edward beamed down at me as he kissed my lips sweetly. "That's wonderful, love. I'm so proud of you. Did they end up sending Eleazar? That was who I had suggested, but I had to leave before the vote went through."

I sighed feeling horrible for having to lie, but Marcus's words were ringing in my ears and I refused to let any of this upset him and possibly distract him. I looked away toward the window before looking back with a forced smile. "You know, in all the excitement, I forgot what they said his name was. It was something a little more unusual, but I can't think of it off the top of my head."

He frowned and I worried he would call me out on my falsehood, but it didn't last long. "Was it possibly Cassini?"

I shook my head. "No, that doesn't sound right."

He furrowed his brow deeper. "Lawrence?"

I sighed, hoping he would give up soon. "No, that's not it either. You know, sweetheart, I really don't want to waste any more of our time together on anything that doesn't involve just me and you, okay? I'm sure I'll get all the details on Monday and be totally prepared when he arrives on Wednesday. First, though, I think I need to make a call to Hannity to inform them of my change in employment."

He smiled brightly at me, kissing me one more time before suggesting that he and his family go down to the restaurant downstairs while I make my call and I join them once I'm finished and had a chance to change my clothes. I smiled and waved as they walked out.

I picked up the phone dialing the department for Hannity's personnel division, thankfully getting Mrs. Salinger on the first ring. "Hello Mrs. Salinger, this is Bella Swan. I was just calling to inform you that I have new employment and will not be returning to Hannity. My friend Rosalie will be collecting my things from my desk later this week and I will expect my final paycheck to arrive in the mail as usual for the time I put in before my resignation. An official letter will be on your desk Monday morning. Good luck finding someone willing to put up with Mr. Damon. If any other inquiries of me are necessary, I can be reached at Cullen Steel's New York office where I will be the executive assistant to the head of their offices."

I waited to see if she would respond, only to hear sputtering on the other end of the line. After allowing her a few moments to compose herself I smiled. "I thank you very much for the opportunity, Mrs. Salinger. I hope you have a nice week. Goodbye."

I hung up the phone before walking into the bathroom to freshen up, slipping out of my uncomfortable suit and sliding instead into a light weight brown wrap dress with short sleeves. As I walked up to the table, I overheard a tiny bit of the conversation. When Edward saw me, he stood immediately and smiled, reaching out to take my hand. He kissed the back before pulling out my chair for me and helping me to settle at the table. Once I was situated, he gestured for the waitress to get my drink order and return to take our orders.

We had a nice evening together, talking over drinks well into the night as we moved from the restaurant to the lounge. Carlisle was leaving early the next morning to return home, but Esme had agreed to stay behind and begin the hunt for a new place for the girls and me to live. We all shared hugs, ending with a particularly long one between Carlisle and Edward; we retired back to our own rooms.

After freshening up and climbing into our night clothes, we curled up together on our bed. Edward ran his hands through my hair as he told me about the company and how happy he hoped I would be there. He confided in me about those on the board he trusted and those he didn't. What pleased me the most was to hear that Marcus was his best friend and the person he trusted most in the company. They had grown up together over the summers since they were young when Edward and his family would come to visit Chicago on vacation. When Edward hit his teen years, he came to shadow his grandfather and learn the business. He went into college at Northwestern in Chicago, interning at the company under his grandfather the entire time. Marcus was his college roommate and full time confidant.

When he graduated, he spent the next two years training one on one with his grandfather, taking over the business the year he turned 25. He spent the next four years running the company until the day President Roosevelt declared war. That day he, Marcus, and a few others from the company went to the recruiter's office. Marcus was labeled 4F due to the fact that he was nearly deaf in his left ear after a horrible ongoing infection when he was young stretched his eardrum so badly that it never recovered. Edward left him as chair of the board, knowing he would do the company proud.

It was hard to bite my tongue, but I couldn't let Edward go off to war knowing how much things had changed in his absence. I would support Marcus however I could, and hope that the greedy men in charge didn't ruin things in his absence. I had every faith that when Edward returned, he would put things right again. I the meantime, Marcus and I would keep an eye on things and do our best to protect what he loved so much.

He listened as I told him more about my childhood in Kansas and my friendship with Alice and Rose. He laughed as I shared stories of when we first arrived in New York and how completely overwhelmed we were. Eventually our talking turned into kiss, which eventually turned into making love. We fit together so perfectly, touching each other as though we had explored one another for years as opposed to days.

Soon after we found completion together, Edward drifted into a deep sleep. I couldn't rest though, choosing instead to lay next to him with my head propped on my hand as I stared down at his perfection in the low light of the room. My chest felt as though it were crushing under the weight of a bus as I thought about his leaving. In fifty hours I would have to say goodbye not knowing when he would come back to me, but I held the faith that he WOULD come back. He just had to, because I could no longer picture my life without him.

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_**Author's note: Okay guys…you know me. I can't resist a good intriguing plot twist. We've gotta have something to keep the homefront interesting while E is gone! **_

_**Recap:**_

_**Bella is 25.**_

_**Edward is 30. He Graduated college at 23, worked for 2 years with his grandfather, being groomed to take over, which he did at 25. He was CEO and chairman of the board for four years before he enlisted and left the company in his best friend, Marcus's capable hands, not expecting Aro and Caius, Marcus's father and uncle to make a power play while he was gone…although really he should have anticipated it, but his focus was elsewhere.**_

_**Marcus is a good guy in this story. He's being shipped to NY because he was a fly in Aro and Caius's ointment. Even though he was replaced as head of the board, he was still a major stockholder and held sway amongst the board members. Putting him in NY makes it harder for him to be the voice of reason amongst the fat cats between major meetings. **_

_**Marcus saw Bella and Edward at Tavern the night before and saw a great opportunity when she applied the next day. Not only is she fully qualified and intelligent, she's also the one person he can trust not to be a turncoat. This, my friends, is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. :)**_

**_P.S. took Baby Cullen Wannabe to the docs today after racing into her room when I heard her choking on phlegm int he middle of the night and ended up sleeping all night in the recliner with her because I was afraid to lay her back down. Poor baby girl has a double ear infection with so much pressure the doc said her left ear might rupture, but would be okay. I felt horrible for her. She clung to me through the whole appointment and cried. She's on antibiotics and is actually down playing again now, which is a good sign. It's been a rough week. This chapter was courtesy of her nap yesterday afternoon. Hope you enjoy it!_**


	5. Savoring Every Moment

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.**

_**Author's Note: It seems that boredom and lack of sleep breeds chapters. I've been pretty much stuck in the recliner with my daughter velcroed to my chest since Wednesday. Thus being so, I've had lots of time to mentally work up this story, even if I haven't had the free hands to write it. So, when she went to bed and thankfully slept all night in her crib last night (Thank you Lord!), I was able to get this all down in the course of just an hour and a half before passing out in my own bed. I hope you like it.**_

_**Thanks as always to our beta AgoodWITCH. She's such a good fanfiction little sis.**_

_****This chapter is only about 80% wuss perv friendly, (yeah, totally stole that warning from Clipped Wings and Inked Armor…if you haven't read it you really should!). Don't forget my little o~O~o to warn you it's coming and let you know when it's over. Don't skip the whole chapter or you'll miss crucial things.**_

_*****This chapter has also been edited to meet TOS guidelines. To read the uncensored version, please seek out the posting on twcslibrary dot com**_

_***I'm issuing a **__**TISSUE WARNING**__** for the events at the end.***_

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**5. Savoring Every Moment**

Edward and I stayed locked away in our room, wrapped together under the covers and simply unwilling to let each other go for even a moment. Eventually the world outside begged for our attention. After five calls from Alice, we finally relented and agreed to meet our friends for a late lunch of hot dogs in Central Park.

As we walked up to them, it didn't escape our attention that the affection level had skyrocketed between these pairs. When we reached their side, I immediately saw the glinting from their fingers and screamed uncharacteristically. They both beamed at me, presenting their rings regally as I ran to hug them. Behind our loud excited chatter, I heard Edward congratulate his buddies with handshakes and half hugs with the requisite three pats on the back at the end.

The girls took up residence on each side of me, wrapping their arms with mine and leading the way as they told me all about how the boys had asked them and all the romantic trappings Emmett and Jasper had managed to garner for each of them. Once they were done, they began grilling me about married life, squealing excitedly about my new job. Rosalie was more than happy to be collecting my belongings for me.

My arms were beginning to really miss Edward after an hour of walking with the girls. I was so glad when their boys laughed before they ran up behind us. Jasper grabbed Alice's waist, peeling her from my side while Emmett simply stepped in front of Rose and planted a kiss on her lips. My arm was quickly abandoned to allow her hand to find purchase in his hair.

I giggled, watching the scenes unfold just as the warmth and comfort of my wonderful husband wrapped around me from behind. He rested his chin on my shoulder as he pulled my back against his chest. I blushed when I felt the evidence of his love for me against my back. He leaned in to kiss my ear teasingly before drifting kisses down my neck. I sighed, leaning my head away to allow him better access.

A duo of little old ladies walked past us, clucking their tongues at our less than appropriate public displays. I blushed, turning to tuck my head into the chest of my laughing husband while Emmett told them to look away if it bothered them. Jasper just fanned a hand at them before resuming kissing his girl.

I spent the rest of the day walking arm in arm with Edward. Most of the time, his free hand would reach up to caress the back of my hand wrapped in his given arm. Every time I looked up at him, which was quite often if I were truly honest, he was looking back at me with such love it made my heart ache. It was almost like he was afraid to look away, not wanting to miss a single moment. I knew how he felt. I wished I had a photographic memory so I could remember everything in perfect detail for the rest of my life.

The other four made themselves scarce around four o'clock saying that they had plans for the evening, leaving Edward and I to walk in the park alone. We meandered our way to Belvedere Castle taking in the views before working our way down to the Shakespeare garden. It was late spring, so many of the unique specimens on display were in full bloom and absolutely breathtaking.

As the day progressed into early evening and the sun began to set along the horizon indicating that yet another day had escaped us, I whimpered as I cowered into his side. I couldn't bear the thought of him leaving in what was now less than twenty four hours.

Sensing my sadness, Edward grabbed me and tugged me off the path to lean against a nearby tree, bracing his hands on either side of my head as he looked into my eyes with deep concern. He didn't have to ask the question weighing on his mind. He knew all too well what I was feeling, because the same emotions were brewing behind his own emerald eyes.

Suddenly, he leaned forward, pressing me against the bark as he claimed my lips desperately. I grabbed hold of his shirt, fisting it so tightly in my hands that I believed I might have loosened a few of the buttons. I pulled him closer, need and desperation overruling all else. His hands trailed knowingly down my sides as my body arched itself, desperate to be even closer. After a few moments, he broke the kiss, both of us panting as we stared in desperation at one another.

"Let's go back to our room, my love. I don't want to leave our bed again until we have to leave for the shipyard."

I sniffled, trying to push back my tears, and failing. The pained look on his face as he reached up to wipe my tear away did nothing for my resolve.

"I will come back to you as soon as I can, but I promise you…I WILL come back. I have to."

I nodded, wrapping my arms around his neck as I lifted to my toes, holding on with all of my might. I wanted so desperately to hold onto him like this and never let him go. They couldn't send him to war if I was permanently attached to his neck. If that was what it would take for him to stay and be safe, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Edward held me close as we made our way to Fifth Avenue where we caught a cab back to the hotel. If we hadn't been so desperate to get back and savor what little time we had left, I would have suggested walking, even if it was several dozen blocks, or taking the subway. I felt guilty spending his money so frivolously and wasting valuable resources. We had only been made aware last month that a food rationing system was being set up to be implemented soon, and other goods would soon follow. The biggest rumors centered around gas and rubber. It seemed that in a time when the gas we were using to cross town and the rubber being used from the tires should be reserved for our troops and to share as a nation that we shouldn't be wasting it frivolously like this, even if the rationing hadn't technically started yet.

I didn't voice any of this though. At the moment, I could have cared less about anything but the man beside me. He tossed money at the driver before escorting me swiftly through the lobby and to the elevator. The second the door to our suite was closed, we were wrapped together in a desperate embrace as our clothes began to fall to the floor piece by frustrating piece. We stumbled as Edward tried to step out of his pants while on the move toward the bedroom as my dress and slip were whipped over my head and tossed to the far end of the living area.

o~O~o

By the time we actually reached the bed, my bra had also been tossed aside. Edward worshipped me, moaning with looks of appreciation between delicious kisses. Just like his looks in the park, it felt as though he was going to take in every sensation of our activities with the intention of imbedding them as permanently as possible in his memory. These moments would be moments that we would hold onto with all of our might in those dark lonely nights while we were a half a world away from one another. These memories would be the bittersweet balm that would help us push through the moments of despair until we would be together again.

I pushed myself as close to his body as I could, straddling his legs, crawling onto the bed with him as his hands wrapped around my body, moving slowly up my back and sides. My body was still new to the experiences of making love, but it seemed to be pretty adept at figuring things out as we went on its own as I felt my warm lady parts rub against him through his boxers.

He groaned, burying his face in my neck and suckling the flesh there as his hands drifted over my thighs to the tops of my stockings, releasing them from the garter belt that held them in place. His lips drifted down across my collarbone as his fingers slid to the clasp on the back of my black lace garter belt, releasing it from my body before tugging at my panties to be rid of them as well, but not bothering with the stockings.

He laid back on the bed with his hands propped behind his head as he stared up at my newly naked body with a smirk. I felt the blush bloom on my face and stretch down my chest as his eyes roamed my form perched above him.

In an instant, my shy nature disappeared behind my desire for my husband, which was so much stronger than I ever imagined. His eyes grew wide and twinkled as he watched my posture change. I smirked down at him, before taking over this new and different way of being united. Everything was new to me, but it surprised me how different the sensations were depending upon the positions we were in.

We reached heaven together before I collapsed on his chest as we both fought for breath, our bodies trembling together. Neither of us cared that we were sticky and sweaty, nor did we bother to clean up since we both knew that this was just the beginning.

"I knew I was lucky when you agreed to marry me, but Bella, I had no idea just how perfect you were. I didn't think it was possible to find someone who honestly is everything you ever dreamed of in one single person. Thank you, Bella, baby. I love you…so much."

I began to cry more noticeably at his words. His brows furrowed a moment before he descended onto my mouth, devouring my lips and tongue as he began moving over me again. Every move, sound, and look we shared carried such intensity that it felt like I could die in that moment and never regret it.

After a few long moments of intensity, Edward wrapped his arms around me, rolling us over so that I was now on top. He smiled up at me with heavy lids full of desperate lust as I settled myself and began move above him. His hands drifted up my body, claiming my chest greedily.

"As long as I live I will never see anything more beautiful than this, Bella. Oh...uh…you are a goddess. I love you so…ugh…so much. Oh….Bella…I'm not."

I whimpered as he grasped my hips. My body began to tingle, the muscles in my groin twitching as I arched above him and screamed his name in the same moment that I felt him moan my name in pleasure.

o~O~o

I fell to his side as he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close as I draped my knee across his thighs. He kissed me sweetly on the lips before brushing butterfly kisses across the rest of my face.

"You are everything to me, my beautiful Bella. Please let my family help you and take care of you. I hate that I'm not going to be here to do that, but I'm going to come back to you as soon as I can. I promise you, Bella."

We didn't get a wink of sleep that night as we continued to worship one another, taking turns memorizing every line of one another's body. I especially loved kissing his birthmarks. He had three, which I found particularly unusual. He had a rounded one on his right shoulder blade that was just slightly darker than the rest of his skin. The second was a thin line like one on his left thigh right at the midpoint between his knee and his groin that probably very few people besides myself, and possibly his parents, even knew about. The final one on was on his neck, just below the hairline. He said all the guys in boot camp teased that it was an everlasting love bite.

When the sun rose the next morning, my chest ached as though my heart was dying inside it. We lay together as I rested my head on his chest, counting his heartbeats and memorizing their tone. I breathed in his scent desperately trying to keep it in my memories.

When eleven o'clock came, we couldn't hide from fate any longer. We pulled ourselves out of bed and enjoyed a slow shower together before working together in a dazed state to pack up our belongings. I insisted that I provide the wifely duty of folding his clothes and packing them neatly in his duffel bag, slipping one of my handkerchiefs and a picture of me for him to find later. I hoped that they would get him through the long days ahead.

With heavy hearts, we opened the door to Esme who hugged Edward a long time before walking to me and tucking me lovingly into her side as Edward made one last check of the room before we checked out. Every step I took with them toward the lobby and then to the street where we caught a cab headed to the harbor, I felt were my last. A part of me was going to die when I had to say goodbye to Edward in one short hour. The part of me had only been alive for less than a month and yet if felt like such a massive part of who I was now.

When we reached the dock, we were surrounded by a sea of people, but somehow Emmett, Rose, Alice, and Jasper managed to find us. Edward gave Esme one last hug before wrapping his arms around me so tightly I felt like I couldn't take even the smallest of breaths, but I didn't care. I hugged back with equal ferocity, not able to bear the thought of him walking away from me in a few moments.

He finally pulled away with great difficulty to cup my cheek in his hand, brushing the tears away that were freely flowing from my red puffy eyes. I wished I could send him away with a better image, but I was hopeless. Taking a deep breath, he leaned in kissing me deeply before dipping me during the kiss and brining me back up before releasing me lips.

"I love you so much, Bella Cullen. I AM coming back to you. No matter what, I'll find a way. I love you more than anything, more than my own life. You don't just have my heart, you ARE my heart, so please take care of yourself. I couldn't live without my heart."

I burst into gut wrenching sobs as I nodded and hugged myself tightly to his chest. A loud whistle sounded, making me jump just before the chatter around us grew louder.

Edward leaned down and whispered in my ear. "That means I have to go, love. Be safe, Bella. I'll write you every day. I love you so much, sweetheart!"

"I love you too," I sobbed as I slowly released my fingers from behind his neck, watching as he backed away slowly toward the line waiting to board the boat. He kept his eyes locked with mine until he was lost from view in the sea of uniformed men all pressing toward the narrow catwalk that led to the boat that would transport them to the carrier just off shore.

A cold numbness worked its way through my limbs as hysterical sobs escaped me. I felt like my knees were growing weak when I felt three sets of warming, soothing arms around me. The bodies connected to the arms were also sobbing, but even in their tears, they held me up.

We stood in a tangle of four, watching as the men crowded the deck of the ship. I wiped at my eyes desperately searching for one last peek of my husband among the crowd. The sounds of chains being released and the catwalk being pulled away from the boat's hull informed me that I only had moments left. My eyes were frantic as they searched for my Edward in the crowd of waving arms and shouting faces. I was about to grow hysterical again when I heard Alice's voice shouting in my ear.

"There they are!"

"Where?" Rosalie and I shouted in unison, desperate for one last look.

Alice pointed and we followed her finger's direction to the very edge of the stern of the boat where our three boys were standing on the railing, waving frantically. I smiled through my tears, as the four of us pushed through the crowd toward the back of the boat waving with smiles on our faces as we screamed our oaths of love and blew kisses.

Edward's smile seared my soul as he blew me a kiss and waved again before placing his hand over his heart and pointing at me. "Keep it safe," he mouthed just before the ship pulled away. I nodded and cried as we watched them move further away, their faces soon dots on the boat, before the entire boat turned into a small dot on the horizon.

Alice, Rose, Esme, and I numbly shuffled our way back to the street. Esme hugged us good-bye, promising to stop by the apartment the next day to check in before disappearing in a cab. Alice, Rose and I sadly made our way back to our apartment where we all wordlessly moved to our beds and collapsed, none of us moving for the rest of the day.

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_**Author's Note: Okay, is it crazy that I sobbed writing the end of this? I find myself living through these experiences a bit as I write them, but that was the hardest I've cried while writing a chapter since writing the end of the hostage scene in FDKK. Anyway, let me know what you thought!**_


	6. Secret Provisions

**Disclaimer: I do not own.**

_**Author's Note: I'm guessing this will be the last update for about a week. My inspiration spurt is winding down and I'm going to have a busy week ahead of me. Thanks to my beta AgoodWITCH who is down with her own maladies, but still managed to get this back quickly. By the way, she said she cried at the end, so be prepared for the possibility of more tears. **_

_**Thanks so much for your comments and thought about Baby Cullen Wannabe. She's still pretty uncomfortable with a really runny nose and is quick to get upset, but at least she's playing again and isn't totally miserable. With any luck we'll all be back to one hundred percent soon!**_

**I'm going to have a short section at the end with answers to some common questions amongst reviewers, so check them out when you're done.**

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**6. Secretive Provisions**

_Warm arms wrapped tightly around me…the smell of HIS cologne mixed with his natural scent…HIS lips caressing my temple, kissing my jaw line…HIS voice whispering sweet nothings and oaths of eternal devotion in my ear._

The harsh bell tone of the phone ringing for the fourth time since the sun came up interrupted my dream again. I rolled over, tucking my head under my pillow and wishing myself back into my dream. I dare not open my eyes because then he really will be gone. I can't bear that reality just yet. I'd much rather hide in my dreams. The harsh ring stops and I sigh, my mind drifting back to my happy place.

_My face resting against his smooth, strong chest, my head rising and falling with his steady breaths, the comforting sound of his heart beating steadily in my ear…a deep breath, savoring the way my insides go warm and gooey at the comfort his scent alone provides. He leans into my ear, his velvet smooth voice drifts into my consciousness. _

"_You promised to take care of my heart for me. Why haven't you fed it yet? You can't break your promise to me, Bella. You promised to take care of yourself while I'm gone."_

_I moaned, tears tickling my cheeks. "If I get up__,__ I lose you all over again. I can't bear it. Can't I stay here with you?"_

_His warm soft lips brush mine so softly I can't even feel it. "No, love. I need you to be strong and take care of you since I'm not there to do it. Bella, you have to get up."_

I opened my eyes under the pillow as the sound of loud pounding on the door pulled me awake again. The smell, the warmth, the feel of him all around me is gone and I feel my tears wetting the sheet under my head.

"Bella, Alice, Rosalie…I KNOW you girls are in there. You open this door right this second!" An authoritative feminine voice demanded from the hallway.

"If you don't open this door right this second, I'm going down to your superintendent's office and making him do it for me. You know I'll do it, Bella."

I sighed, tossing the blankets off of my body before shuffling to the door. I opened the two chains and three deadbolts before turning the knob to allow Esme into the apartment. Her eyes grew even sadder when she saw that I'm still wearing what I had on at the harbor.

She stepped toward me, enveloping me in her arms as she stroked my hair lovingly. "Oh sweetheart, I know this is difficult, but Edward would be so upset if he saw you like this. I know it hurts. I sent my only son off yesterday the same time you sent your husband. It is difficult, but we must carry on and take care of ourselves like he wants."

I sighed, nodding my head in agreement. My dream Edward had just gotten through telling me as much just before the pounding on the door began.

"Are the other girls in the same state as you?"

I shrugged, not trusting my voice between the sobbing and otherwise lack of use since the afternoon before.

She led me to the kitchen, opening the icebox to pull out the strawberry jam Rosalie's mom had sent us a few weeks before. Then she opened the breadbox, pulling out the loaf beginning to stale from the week of neglect. She turned to me with a smile. "Do you have any peanut butter?"

I smiled slightly, nodding toward the cabinet where we stored our non perishables. She tugged it open, snatching it out before cutting some slices from the loaf and creating three perfectly assembled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She sat one plate in front of me, pointing with an authoritative edge that ordered me to eat without saying a word.

I picked up the sandwich and took a bite, not even tasting the food in my mouth, but chewing and swallowing obediently anyway. She watched me swallow my first bite, nodding in satisfaction before disappearing into the larger of our two bedrooms that Rose and Alice shared. I took another bite as I listened to Esme order the girls out of bed, feeding them the same incentive lines that she did me. Soon Rose and Alice shuffled out of the room, their clothes from the day before still on like me, with their hair falling haphazardly from their bobby pins.

Half an hour, two sandwiches each, and a glass of milk later, Esme shoved us each into the bathroom to get cleaned up, insisting we go with her to see the fabulous apartments she found for us at a real steal. We followed her in a dazed state as she led us from our building to hail a cab.

I was not even coherent enough to realize what address Esme gave until we pulled up to the most famous building currently on Park Avenue.

"Esme, John Rockefeller Jr. lives in the building. There is no way I'm letting you guys buy an apartment here for us. This is way more than we need."

Esme waved her hand dismissively before putting her hand at the base of my back and directing me toward the door. The lady giving us the tour led us from room to room of the amazing apartment full of light and fancy woods all over the floors and walls with fancy titles like wainscoting and crown molding being tossed at us as though I had any clue what that was. I grew up in a three room shack of a house in Kansas. We didn't even have wallpaper or paint on the interior walls.

Esme asked the lady to give us some privacy as we all toed the floor awkwardly behind her. She walked up to us with a huge smile spreading her arms wide to showcase the large windows that showed an amazing view of the city skyline.

"Isn't this just amazing, ladies? Couldn't you imagine how wonderful it would be to live here?"

She looked back at us with a confused look, cocking her head to the side like a puppy dog. "Girls? Don't you agree?"

I glanced at Alice and Rose who were just as out of it as I was, but I could tell that they were thinking the same thing I was. We didn't have anything to go in a place like this. We would not fit in with the upper crust society people that would live here. This would never truly feel like a home to us.

I cleared my throat, trying it out before I began to speak. "Esme, I don't want to let you down, but honestly, this is way too much. I don't think I would ever feel comfortable here and our things would look so out of place here. I'm sorry."

A slow grin spread across her face as she chuckled. We all looked up at her a bit confused. "Of course it's too much, but I just thought while we were looking, we might as well get a peek at one of the most famous apartment buildings in the city. Besides, I hoped that by showing you something like this first, you might be more open to some of the other places I found for us to see."

I shook my head as a smirk crossed my face. My mother-in-law was a real piece of work, that was for sure. We spent the rest of the day touring far less opulent and yet still far too expensive apartments available on the upper east and west sides. The whole time all I could really think besides how much I wished Edward were with me, was how much further we would all be from work and how horrible the commute was going to be. We would go from what was in some cases, some of the northernmost neighborhoods of Manhattan, all the way to the financial district toward the very end of what was considered downtown. At least in our current place, our commute was next to nothing. Chinatown practically bordered the financial district, and even though we were a little more toward the north end, right at the border where Little Italy and Chinatown seemed to converge, it was still far closer than anything we had looked at.

It was cramped and sometimes a bit loud and there were times where the men wandering the streets late at night made us a little nervous, but it was New York City after all. Unless you were filthy rich, you just had to deal. Of course, according to my husband, I guess I was amongst the former group now, but to me it certainly didn't feel that way.

The very last place she took us was a brownstone on the Upper West side. It was within walking distance of Central Park on a pretty street lined with trees and rows of perfectly maintained brownish red houses. We walked up the sculpted porch to the front door where a lady greeted us excitedly, leading us through the house. In actuality, it was two separate two bedroom apartments on the upper floors with a three bedroom apartment taking up the ground floor and a portion of the second floor.

As we walked through, I felt my body relaxing, realizing that this place actually did feel like a home, but once again it was way too much. Esme brushed off my comment again, whispering that the price was a steal and once the economy picked back up after the war, we would eventually be able to get back the money we bought it for plus some because realty is almost always a good investment.

I looked around the main floor apartment again with a sigh. It was so homey with wood floors and a brick fireplace along one wall. The place was really so much more like a home than any we had seen and the best part would be that we would all have our own space, but would still be right there together as roommates. Our utilities and commute costs would go up a great deal, but since we were no longer out the exorbitant rent, we would probably be able to make it all balance out in the end.

I nibbled my lip as I stood in front of the building. In so many ways, it would be ideal. If the boys ended up coming home early, then each couple would have their own place, but I just couldn't get past the price tag. Esme continued to assure me that it was a good deal and that sometime way down the road, they would be able to sell it and possibly even make a profit. Aside from that, if Cullen Steel was going to have a New York office, it was a fiscally smart to have some sort of residence that guests could be put up in during their stay. Despite the great distance between the office and the residence, it would still be ideal for housing executives in town for a week or two.

It took a lot of convincing, but eventually Esme talked me into the idea. The girls were all for the new arrangement, needing no convincing whatsoever. With the shake of her hand, and the signing of a few documents, Esme had officially begun the process of procuring our new home for the foreseeable future.

Esme furrowed her brow as she escorted us home. "I am so glad that you girls will be away from here soon. This area doesn't look too terrible, but I just have these uneasy feelings when I'm here. Please be careful girls, and stay safe. Bella, I will meet you at this address Monday during your lunch break. We will be signing the paperwork and handing over the payment to purchase the house. With any luck, we will have you moved in within a week or so."

I sighed deeply, wishing I could be as happy about the coming changes as I probably should be, but I was having a hard time seeing past my pain of missing Edward. The apartment hunt had been a fairly adequate distraction for the majority of the day, only allowing me to miss him once every five minutes or so, but now I was going to have the next day and a half to mope before I had another distraction to keep me sane.

"Thank you, Esme. I really appreciate all of the work you put into this." I hugged her gently before looking back toward the apartment with a sigh. I was just about to open the door when she stopped me with a hand.

"Just one moment, sweetheart. I have a delivery for you. I was hoping we would find something today since he made me promise not to give it to you until after you had agreed on a new place and the agreement was made. After seeing the state you were in when I got here this morning, it would have been torturous to have to keep this from you."

She handed me a thick white envelope, my name written in an elegant script that made my heart ache as the air escaped my chest in a loud huff. "He said to tell you that this was the first of many. Go settle in and read it and I will give you a call tomorrow."

I looked up at her through teary eyes as I ran my fingers over my name repeatedly. "Do you know what it says?"

She smiled. "No, dear. He locked himself in your bedroom the day we got back from our errands and didn't come out for nearly an hour. When he did, he handed me this envelope with strict instructions as to when to deliver it. Now stop talking to me and go read it for yourself!" She chuckled before pushing me toward the door.

I opened it, smiling at her with a wave as I slammed it closed before running as quickly as I could up the five flights of stairs to our apartment. I opened the door and told the girls I'd be out later before running to my room to hide away with Edward's words.

I carefully opened the sealed envelope, pulling out the small stack of papers written in his perfect penmanship. I wiped at my tears as I began to read.

_March 25, 1943_

_My dearest Bella,_

_This is my first of what will be many letters to you. Even though my hand itches to tell you every single thought in my brain, desperate to help you see how much you mean to me. I still find it hard to believe that it was only two and a half weeks ago that I walked into that USO dance, completely ignorant to the fact that I was about to meet the woman of my dreams. I thank God every night before I fall asleep with you in my arms that we both made the decision to go there that night. _

_I honestly do not think you understand how much you have improved upon my life. I didn't even realize I was missing out until I saw you from across the room and felt the inexplicable urge to introduce myself and spend the rest of the night at your side. I certainly never expected the brown eyed angel that was the most beautiful individual I had ever seen to have a most amazingly kind heart and keen intelligence to make what was already an amazing package completely perfect. I started to fall in love with you before we even shared our first dance, Bella, and I never looked back._

_The thought of leaving you at all makes my heart ache and twist beyond belief, but to have to do so when I've only just found you makes it that much harder. I would give everything I own if I could stay with you, but alas, that just is not possible. If I could stay by your side, I would spend each and every day doing anything I could to make you smile and feel safe and loved. _

_Unfortunately, our life has not given us such a perfect beginning to our marriage. This separation is going to be incredibly painful for the both of us. It absolutely kills me to have to leave you behind, but I absolutely refuse to do so without knowing you are safe and taken care of for the rest of your days. That is why, at my father's suggestion no less, Mom, Dad, and I made a trip to your employer's office as clients._

_As of today, Mrs. Cullen, you are my sole heir. In the event that I don't make it home, (which I have already promised you will not happen because I just have to come home), you will receive the entirety of my trust fund, along with all of my stocks and holdings within Cullen Steel. In addition, all properties previously owned by me, or purchased after our marriage, will become your sole property to do with as you feel is needed. In the event that we someday have children, a percentage of the inheritance will go into their name in a trust to be released to them upon turning 25, and a portion of the stocks in Cullen Steel will pass to them at that time as well._

_In addition, an account has been set up for you separate from the money set aside to acquire a new home for you and your 'sisters' expressly for your use. I'm not kidding myself, I know you won't use it, but I hope that if you find yourself in a situation where you need the money that you will use it to meet those needs. It is YOUR money, and even though I know you will ignore my pleas, I beg you to use it to provide for yourself when I am away and unable to do so personally._

_I sincerely hope you are not angry with me for taking these steps, but as my wife, I know you will do what is best in any situation that arises. You, my beautiful Bella Cullen, my amazingly wonderful wife, are a good and virtuous woman. I am so proud to call you my wife. _

_I love to say those words together…Bella…Cullen…wife. They are too perfect and absolutely meant to be. Bella Cullen, my beautiful wife…I just can't say it or write it enough. Beautiful Bella Cullen, I love you so very much and I count the hours until I am with you again. I am not sure how long it will take for mail to reach you once I have shipped out, but just know that I will write you every single day. _

_I hate to end this, but I know I must since you will be returning to my arms at any moment. Before I end this, I have to say that I am so grateful for you and have cherished every single moment we have had together since the night we met, to the hours we will share between this point and when I leave. Thank you for giving me your heart, your love, your chastity, and your faith. I cherish every single one with all that I am. _

_Until I see you again and hold you in my arms, I send you never ending kisses from my soul to yours._

_With all of my heart,_

_Lt. Edward Anthony Cullen_

I read his words over and over as the tears trailed down my face and I had every single syllable memorized. Each and every thought he shared was now permanently etched on my heart. I reached my hand under my bed, tugging out the small box of stationary I had been saving for a special occasion. I read his letter once more before beginning my first to him.

I poured my heart and soul out to him on the next ten pages as I told him about how much my love for him outreached anything I had ever imagined. My love for him would never fade, crack, or die. For as long as I lived, Edward Cullen would have my heart.

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_**Author's Note: Hope you guys liked it.**_

_**Okay…now for the Q and A**_

**Doesn't Carlisle have the ability to step in and take care of this? Is he not part of Cullen Steel?**

When Carlisle chose to go into medicine, Grandpa Cullen wasn't happy and changed things so he didn't inherit the shares he was supposed to inherit when he turned 25. They later reconciled, but Carlisle never went into the business. They continued to visit during summers. Those shares that should have been Carlisle's later went to Edward, then later he inherited Grandpa's shares as well. Edward should have given voting proxy to Marcus or Carlisle I his absence, but he didn't…thus leading to the next question and the resulting problem,

**Are the Volturi's Partners in the company? To they have an equal share of the company?**

When the company started, Grandpa C brought in investors with promises of some say in the way the company was run. Grandpa Volturi was his second highest contributor after himself, thus when he died, his shares were split between his two sons, with a few going to his own grandson protoge, Marcus.

**How is the voting shares split in the company?**

When Grandpa C retired, he gave Edward the voting power for the shares he would inherit upon his death. He died just a year before the war started, giving Edward full ownership of the majority of the shares in the company (59%). So while Edward is away, the Volturi's have controlling interest in the company. Since Edward didn't leave a voting proxy, the mice are taking full advantage of the cat being away.

**Please don't write some messed up love triangle thing like in Pearl Harbor…**

Take a breath. Edward will not be returning to find out Bella thought he was dead and moved on only to get impregnated by Marcus and then have Marcus die and Bella and Edward raise the baby together. It just isn't going to happen. Absolutely not. I don't want to give away any of the plot, so I don't want to say any more…but just…No to that one.

_**Most of the other questions would totally spoil the whole story for you, so I will make you wait to see when it comes to those. Again, this will probably be the last post for a week or so, I'm thinking. Hope you guys enjoyed it. **_

_**Thanks for all the awesome comments and reviews!!! Keep 'em coming! They make me really happy! I've been amazed so far that this story is averaging around the same number of reviews per chapter as FDKK did, minus the major pivotal chapters at least. I wasn't sure if I'd ever have another story do as well as it did, just because the concept was so original. It pleases me that even if it's totally different this story appears to be having a good draw anyway! **_


	7. Chaotic Days and Lonely Nights

**Disclaimer: I don't own the e original characters. I like throwing them back in time a bit though :)**

_**Author's Note: Okay guys…a few more of your more insistent questions will be answered in this chapter. Thank you to our beta, AgoodWITCH, for her beta work. Glad you're back hon!**_

**7. Chaotic Days and Lonely Nights**

The next two weeks passed in a chaotic blur. A new job, meetings to sign the paperwork for the brownstone, moving into the brownstone with Esme watching over every detail for us like a hawk, Esme shopping for more furniture for each of our apartments, it was insanity.

"Esme, I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate all that you have done for us, but I really don't feel right buying all of this furniture," I mumbled as I followed Esme through a high end furniture store.

She turned back to me, making me stop cold with the serious stare she leveled at me. "Bella, first of all, I promised Edward that I would make sure you were living comfortably. You cannot live comfortably if all you have in your apartment is a bed. The same is true of Alice and Rose. All of the belongings you girls had in that apartment wouldn't even begin to fill one of the apartments in the brownstone, much less three. I'm sure the other girl's fiancé's would agree as well. You need to have adequate furnishings."

I opened my mouth to object, but she stopped me with narrowed eyes and raised finger. "Furthermore, this economy needs all the help it can get. Think beyond what you are receiving Bella to what you are giving. Every piece of furniture means income for the person who made it, the person who sold it to you, and the person who delivered it. In so many ways you aren't just getting something to make your life easier, but your helping the people involved with it feed and clothe their families and put a roof over each of their heads."

I frowned at the last bit. I had never really stopped to think that far ahead of simply buying something to the fact that in doing so I was helping others provide for their families. With a sigh and a sad smile, I nodded in agreement as Esme smiled and told the sales clerk that we would take the three piece matching living room set and the coordinating end tables, as well as the beautiful free standing radio phonograph in mahogany wood that came up to my waist.

She paid using cash and giving delivery information along with asking them wait for the rest of our purchases that day before dragging me to another area where she bought lamps, pots, pans, towels, and so on. My throat felt dry as I watched the tab slowly rise. She paid for the newest purchases, this time ordering that they be delivered with the furniture we had purchased.

After leaving the large department store, she tugged me to this tiny woodworking shop in the Village where she proceeded to make me tell the man behind the counter who I envisioned my dream table. I thought he would try to find one in their stock that would be closest to my desire, but I quickly discovered as Esme told him to process the order, while ordering that the seats be cushioned and that there would be two more than I had stated. She paid the man in advance, after adding two smaller tables for Rose and Alice's places.

By the time we made it back to the brownstone, I was shocked to find that Rose and Alice were directing the delivery men who were already setting up our new purchases. Both girls went on and on about the amazing furniture and the free standing radio. They were especially excited to discover that it had the capability to play up to four records back to back thanks to the special way the discs could be stacked atop to movable bar. It was amazing that we could potentially listen to up to an hour of music without any interruptions at all.

Esme made arrangements to take the other girls a couple of days later to pick out a few things for their homes before helping us make supper. Three days later, she reluctantly took a train back west to rejoin Carlisle in Washington.

In the meantime, I had started at my new job at Cullen Steel's New York office. The first few days were hectic as Angela, Mrs. Cope and I did our best to organize the office and have it completely ready to begin a regular work day when Marcus returned on Wednesday. In that time, we were also tasked with hiring the remainder of the office staff that had not been hired the rest of the week before. Apparently, they hadn't had quite the number of excellent applicants they had hoped for and were a few positions short of a full staff. Angela and Mrs. Cope found it strange that Marcus would insist that their newest hire be involved in the process, but did not question it.

I had never realized before how difficult it could be to wade through applications and interview notes to find good, reliable potential employees until I was on the other side of the table. I was astonished at the incompetence of some of the people that waltzed through our doors. You would think that with the scarcity of jobs that they would be pandering and putting their best foot forward, but that was far from the reality. We saw airheaded bimbos who wore tight overly sexy dresses who couldn't type a lick but had excellent curves, to the polar opposite, shy, quiet women who would hardly be able to answer a phone, much less greet a client. My heart tugged hard for those ladies though, because once upon I time, I was more or less just like them before running away to the city with Rose and Alice.

After a full day of interviewing applicants, we finally managed to find the three women we needed to work reception with Angela, as well as take calls, work in the mail room, which is where my favorite shy, quiet girl, Bree was placed, and to work as our financial clerk for the office. The financial clerk had been the hardest position to fill, which is why I was almost giddy with joy when Alice walked in the door with her application in hand. Suddenly working at Cullen Steel was a much brighter option, and knowing exactly how brilliant Alice was with finances, I convinced Mrs. Cope to hire her on the spot.

Now all we needed was to find a place for Rose and we would be all set, but nothing I had mentioned when telling her about the hiring we were doing appealed to her. I hoped down the line we would find a perfect fit for her.

Having Alice working with us was even more perfect. Where I was a possible spy, the other girls in the office were wary to speak too freely in front of me since I was working side by side with Marcus and could send the rumors back his way. Alice, on the other hand, had a knack for getting girls to gossip with her and put them at ease immediately. She was going to be our ideal mole.

The week days went by in a blur of chaos, but the nights were the part that were difficult to endure. When the sun dropped below the horizon and darkness filled the city, our day slowing to a crawl as we returned home to have our supper and do chores before turning in the for the night, we would each start to miss our loves again. It had been hard enough to sleep in my bed at night, but after Esme insisted on buying a larger bed designed for a married couple to share it, along with the matching bedroom pieces, just made it that much worse.

I would spend hours at night, reaching over into the cold vacant space beside me or cuddled to the spare pillow that smelled of detergent without the slightest hint of Edward. Sleep eluded me for the first couple of nights as I cried silent tears and prayed incessantly for my husband, finally giving up sometime between midnight and dawn, turning on the light and pulling out the letter I had been composing slowly ever since he left. By the third night, my exhaustion was so overwhelming that my world went black the second my head hit the pillow, and Edward received no words from me in his letter on that day.

We were nearing the end of the third week when we discovered something very exciting in the mail. All three of us had letters from our men. Alice and Rose squealed as they ran up the stairs to their apartments to open their treasured words from their fiancé's in peace. I did the same, locking the front door and running to lay on my stomach across the bed as I opened the flap of the envelope and tugged out the perfectly folded pages, tearing up with a sigh as his scent drifted from the pages to find me.

I lifted the pages to my nose, huffing the heavenly aroma of my love, savoring the daydream of having him in our bed, laying beside me, running his hand lovingly up and down my spine. After a moment, I pulled the pages from my nose, wiping my tears away as I tried to focus on the perfectly written words in front of me.

The front page was mainly blank with the exception of a little note stating the date that he had sent the letter via a mail plane that had stopped in when they were four days out to sea. I looked at the date with a sigh. It had taken two weeks and three days for the letter to reach me. I ran my fingers over his perfect words, drifting down to trace the lines of the sweet heart he had drawn in the empty space below, our initials drawn in the middle with such passion that the paper had deep ridges along the lines. If it had been a whole tree as opposed to a piece of paper, the scar of his writing would remain for the rest of time.

I stood up hastily, crossing to the vanity Esme had insisted on buying that matched the large chest of drawers and headboard for the new bed. The vanity had a large round mirror attached to the back, small metal brackets held the mirror to the wood that supported it. I folded the paper, making sure that the heart and our initials wouldn't be damaged before wedging it under the narrow bracket to hold it in place so I could see his love etching every morning when I woke and every night before I fell asleep.

I stepped back with a satisfied smile before diving for the papers again, unable to delay reading his precious words any longer.

_March 28, 1943_

_My Dearest Bella,_

_I'm sitting at this very moment at the stern of the USS Ranger. It's one of the newer aircraft carriers in the fleet. I'm supposed to be getting ready for a training run in a few hours, but I can't think of anything but you. It seems strange to say while riding on thousands of tons of metal on my way to war, but the trip has been kind of nice. The sunsets are amazing. I wish I could share them with you, but no photograph could ever do them justice. The pinks, purples, and peaches that dance across the water and light the low lying clouds are beautiful, but they pale in comparison with you. I've only been gone a day, and yet I already miss you so much. I may not get much time to write, but I promise to write you every day. Unfortunately I just heard the call for all flight crew to report to the ready room, so I have to go be briefed for the training run. I love you with all of me. _

_Yours Always,_

_Edward_

_March 29, 1943_

_My Dearest Love,_

_It was a long night last night and an even longer day today. They're making us fly these night missions to get us accustomed to taking off and landing on the carriers at night. I don't know if I've ever been more terrified in my life than the first time I came in to land. Thankfully, your training takes over and there were calm seas, but I simply cannot imagine what it would be like to do that while the water was somewhat turbulent. Every time I would begin to panic, I would think of you and see your beautiful face in my mind, which gave me the idea that from now on, I'm going to start hanging your picture next to my instrument panel. I can't think of any better reminder to be careful and stay safe than your beautiful smile. I love you so much, sweetheart. I wish I had the energy to write longer, but it's nearing midnight and I haven't had any sleep since the night before last. I need to go sleep and dream of you so I'll be safe in the skies tomorrow. I love you more than words can say or actions can suggest. I hope you are sleeping well, my love. I carry you with me in my heart wherever I go and I hope you do the same._

_Love Always,_

_Your Edward_

_March 30, 1943_

_My Beautiful Bella,_

_The food here is nigh intolerable. I swear everything tastes like cardboard. I feel guilty saying that, knowing that all of you back home are going to have to start the ration stamps soon so we have food to eat, but it's the truth. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be sitting in Central Park with you at this very moment, eating a hot dog smothered in ketchup and mustard. I feel like I'm going crazy with how much I miss you. I've never been close like this to anyone before. Yes, I love my parents and I miss them, yes I've had girls in my life before that I liked spending time with, but none of those relationships even came close to what I feel for you. I don't think I've ever been more unprepared for anything more than how much I miss you. I ache for you, quite literally. There are times, especially at night when I'm in my bunk trying to fall asleep that I feel like I can't breathe. I usually find myself digging out my flash light and your picture, staring at your face and stroking the paper wishing I could stroke your cheek and bury my nose in your beautiful, sweet smelling hair. _

_Oh, I have to stop before I drive myself insane. Thankfully, I have understanding friends at my side who are suffering more or less the same fate as me. I didn't know Emmett was capable of moping before he met Rosalie, and Jasper is tense all of the time. More than once I've noticed light shining from their bunks in the middle of the night as well, and I just know that they're staring at photographs of Alice and Rose, wishing they could be with them, just as I do with you._

_We've met some other interesting guys on this trip who are in the same boat us we are as well. Garrett is a rowdy guy from Oregon. He has a new wife named Kate, who he's only been married to a month. He had a very hard time getting on the boat since they found out only two days before that she was pregnant with their first baby. He's over the moon about it, but at the same time, he's so sad knowing that he won't be home for any of the pregnancy and who knows how old the baby will be before he gets to meet him or her._

_It breaks my heart to hear him lament over how much he's going to miss, but I have to say, Bella, that I wouldn't be upset at all if we had ended up in the same predicament. More than anything, I want to see a day when we have a perfect little baby that's a combination of the two of us. Maybe, if we're lucky, that day will come for us sooner rather than later. I pray every night that we go in there and smash Hitler and his Nazi scum to smithereens within months so we can come home safe and victorious. I can't wait to come home to you and the sooner, the better._

I stopped reading there as a thought crossed my mind. I dashed to the kitchen where I had hung the calendar next to the telephone. I turned the page back to find where I marked the beginning of my last cycle, counting forward, and then turned the page and counted again before sitting on the floor staring at the pages in front of me.

My heart was pounding and butterflies flutter in my stomach. I was notorious for being irregular, and with all of the stress of Edward leaving, the new job, the move, the shopping with Esme, it was all things that could put me off quite easily. I had to wait more time before I would know for sure, but I couldn't help the small smile that spread across my face as I rubbed my stomach, hope rising like a flood in my chest.

I was a full week late. It was fully possible that both of our hopes for our future were coming to fruition much earlier than we had anticipated. I covered my mouth to muffle the cry that was eighty percent happy that I might have a piece of him with me for always, and twenty percent mournful that he would miss everything for a very long time…that is if I even was pregnant. I knew it would be difficult, being pregnant and on my own more or less. I knew Rose and Alice would support me completely, and I had a feeling Esme and Carlisle would be ecstatic and start spoiling the baby long before it was ever born. With Edward gone, the timing was not great, but I couldn't be anything but ecstatic.

I took a few moments to settle myself down again before going back to finish Edward's letter, laying on my back so as not to put any pressure or strain on the teeny tiny person that might just be growing inside me at that very moment.

_My dearest one, I hate to end this letter for the day, but the page has gone out again for my group. I'm off for another training run. I love you with every fiber of my being. Never doubt that you are my whole life now. _

_Eternally Yours,_

_Edward_

_March 31, 1943_

_My love, _

_I've heard rumors that a mail plane will come by today, so I must be quick and get this in with the rest of the home bound letters. We are nearly to Europe, where I just discovered today we will be joining the fight for North Africa. The campaign seems to be going in our favor and they are sending us in as air support and also to spot German U boats in the Mediterranean. They have been heavily guarding the straight of Gibraltar trying to keep us from getting any closer to their naval vestiges. With any luck, we will gain North Africa, Gibraltar, and the Mediterranean immediately and shut him down quickly. I would love to write more, my sweetheart, but I do not wish to miss this opportunity to write to you. I am including the address you should send any correspondence to me at. It will take some time, but eventually I will get it. However long it took for you to received my letter, you should probably add at least a week or two before you can expect me to receive anything you have sent. I love you more than words can express and I hope you are taking care of yourself. _

_I know you will resist my mother, but please don't. Just allow her to get you set up as best she can. It will ease all of our minds if we know you are safe and cared for. Also, please do not hesitate to use the money in your account. I know you won't want to, but I would very much like you to live as comfortably as you can. _

_Loving you Eternally,_

_Your Husband, Edward_

I read his letter over and over, my heart racing every time I thought about him actually going into a real live air battle. I knew he was well trained and considered the best in his class, but it was still terrifying. How do you deal with your husband coming face to face with pure evil on a daily basis for the next however long of a time before he came home?

Well I guess saying he was going against pure evil wasn't entirely fair. I'm sure many of the Germans were just doing as they were ordered, just as our boys. I was equally sure that some probably didn't feel that what was happening was right, but if they didn't follow the order of their leader, death was most likely the most often issued punishment.

That didn't change the fact though, that those men, whether serving their leader by choice or not, would be doing their best to kill my husband, and in my mind that was nothing more than evil, pure and simple. My heart ached at the thought, and my stomach fluttered with nerves as I remembered the tiny person that may or may not be growing in my womb at that very moment.

I rolled over to reach under my bed, pulling out the massively long letter that I had spent the better part of the last month working on. It was so long, I was going to have to mail it in at least two, maybe even three separate envelopes. I grabbed the last page, putting the date at the top.

_My wonderful, sweet, perfect husband, Edward,_

_I just got your first letter today…two weeks and three days after you sent it. I hope that you're mistaken and it doesn't take as long to get the letters to you as it did to get to me. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it doesn't. I hope you are safe and well. My letter from the past three weeks, pretty much details all that you have missed since you've been gone. You said it perfectly when you said that you love me more than words can say, because I feel the same way for you. I carry you with me always and love you more than my own life. Please stay safe and come back soon._

I debated whether or not I should mention the possible pregnancy, but if I were wrong, he could go weeks believing it was so and letting his hopes get higher and higher, only to possibly be dashed if it were simply just a matter of stress throwing off my monthly cycle. I prayed that wasn't the case, but I didn't want to cause undue heartache to my poor husband half a world away if it were.

I chose instead to sign the letter. "With all my love, your eternally faithful wife, Bella Cullen." Before spritzing it with my perfume, sealing the envelope and placing a stamp on the corner before tossing on my shoes and running to the front door where I met Alice and Rose doing the same as me.

We all giggled as we rushed to the mailbox, putting our newly scented letters in the postbox on the corner. With happy smiles, we all practically skipped back to the house with matching smiles on our faces, the brightest, and most genuine that any of us had worn in over three weeks. I debated for the slightest of seconds whether to confide in the girls. I knew I would have to do it eventually, but chose rather to wait a bit longer to be sure.

Ideally, I would want Edward to be the first to know, but that would be nearly impossible. I debated until finally deciding that I would not tell anyone until I knew for sure, and even then I would write Edward's letter and mail it first before breathing a word to anyone else. He wouldn't be the first to receive the news, but he would at least be the first I told in any possible form of communication.

With a resigned smile, I invited the girls to relax in my apartment where we cooked a meal together and sat at the square table that used to be in our apartment, comparing notes on our love letters. It wasn't easy for any of us to live on without them, but we were doing our best, together.


	8. Good News and Bad News

Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters. They are all sole property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.

_**Author's Note: Thanks to our beta AgoodWITCH for getting this back so fast. Hope you enjoy it!**_

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**Good News and Bad News**

One week followed, and then another with no monthly visitor in sight. In addition, I seemed to notice telltale changes in my body. I seemed to have a weaker stomach when it came to foods I didn't care for as much. I seemed to grow tired far more quickly than usual, and there were tiny things going on that I wasn't sure if they were real or simply my imagination. The most noticeable of which was the fact that my breasts seemed tender and my nipples looked darker. It seemed like the reality of my situation was quite clear, but I still wanted to have a doctor's opinion before I told Edward. I finally broke down and made a call, setting up an appointment the following week.

I debated how to handle the situation, finally deciding that I should use my married name with the doctor's office. It just seemed the smartest way to handle things. I entered the office in midtown fifteen minutes early to fill out the paperwork since I was a new patient to this gynecological office. This was one of those times where I decided that I was justified in using the money Edward left behind for me. If I truly was carrying his child, it was going to get the best care money had to offer.

I shifted anxiously in the plush seats as I waited for my name to be called, gooseflesh rising on my arms when the name 'Mrs. Cullen' was announced into the cream colored room. I followed the nurse down the hall to a room where I was handed a gown and sheet to change while she left the room briefly. I had barely changed when she knocked on the door to enter once more.

The nurse, Betty, took all of my information, scribbling furiously in the folder she had on the table before her. She smiled up at me with a twinkle in her eye before letting me know that Dr. Stein would be in shortly.

I fidgeted nervously with the sheet draped over my legs as I waited and waited for the doctor to arrive, jumping nearly out of my skin when the loud knock sounded at the door seconds before it opened swiftly revealing an older gentleman with white hair and wire rimmed glasses. He looked up with a bright smile as he swiftly stepped to my side.

"Mrs. Cullen, I'm so glad you have decided to come to our practice for your needs. I'm Dr. Stein."

I smiled and nodded, feeling as though my voice had left me completely in that moment. He stepped to the counter, flipping open the file he had carried in with him and examining the pages seriously before looking up with a smile.

"Well, Mrs. Cullen, you do appear to be showing all the signs of pregnancy. I'm going to do a physical examination and with any luck toward the end I will be able to tell you if you are in fact with child."

I smiled, nibbling my bottom lip hopefully. As hard as I knew it would be to be pregnant and probably give birth without Edward at my side, I would much rather have his child than not. The doctor directed me to lay back on the examination table, lowering the sheet and raising the gown to expose my midsection. He began to push and prod with his fingers along my lower abdomen. I winced a few times when he would hit particularly tender spots.

He completed the examination without a word before explaining that it was time to do the internal portion of the exam. My face flooded with heat as he lifted my feet into the stirrups and did the things doctors did in that respect. One benefit of no longer being a virgin, the exam wasn't nearly as painful as they had been in the past.

The doctor continued, never speaking until he was done, moving away and telling me I could lower my legs while he washed his hands in the nearby basin. Finally, he turned around with a smile.

"I have good news, Mrs. Cullen. The condition of your cervix most definitely indicates pregnancy. Do you have any idea how far along you might be?"

I smiled brightly doing a jig on the inside in my utter joy. "I can give you a five day span in which it had to have happened, doctor."

He smiled with a nod as he scribbled down in the folder adding the two weeks that for some strange reason is the way that pregnancy is calculated, putting me at anywhere between seven and eight weeks depending on exactly when during our five day honeymoon the baby growing within me was conceived.

I left the doctor's office with a hand full of pamphlets, which I discretely tucked into my purse and walked out onto the city street with a bright smile on my face. I stopped at a payphone, asking Marcus if I could take a sick day for the rest of the afternoon. He asked if I was okay, and I replied that I was more than okay, but just needed some time to take care of some things. He agreed knowing I wouldn't call for time off lightly.

I rushed to the subway station, catching the first train I could back uptown, in a hurry to get home and write my letter to Edward. I was determined that even if he wouldn't be the first to know, he would be the first to have been told.

I grabbed my stationary from under my bed, along with a framed picture of Edward that Esme had sent to me last week of him dressed in a suit looking so dapper it was more than a little ridiculous to picture a man that amazing being married to me. I settled down in the living room after switching on the radio and began to pen the most important letter I had ever written to my husband.

As I wrote, Glen Miller's _In the Mood_ came on, making me smile as I stood up to dance around my living room while staring at the picture of my husband, remembering our first dance on the night we met. I couldn't wait to get word back from him after he got the letter. It was just disappointing that I would have to wait over a month to find out what exactly how he responded. I laughed as I spun around the room, lost in memories and wishing more than anything that he could be there to hold me in that moment.

Finally, as the song neared its end, I sat down sharing what I fool I had just made of myself and adding my last oaths of love and longing before sealing the envelope. I filled out the addresses, attaching the stamp upside down as a secret code between the two of us that Edward had suggested would remind us that even while we were separated by war, our love was eternal. I kissed the flap once more before dancing my way out to the mailbox on the corner to drop the letter in the box to go off to my love.

When I turned around, I was greeted with the suspicious gazes of my two best friends, both smiling deviously at me.

"Skipping work to write love letters, huh? Bad example you're setting there, bosslady!" Alice teased as she wrapped her arm with mine as we walked toward the brownstone.

"I had some very important news that I needed to send out right away before I shared with anyone else. I didn't want to wait another second."

Rose and Alice both frowned at me before looks of shocked realization graced their features. "Oh my God, Bella…are you pregnant?" Rose finally gasped through her surprise.

I smiled brightly and nodded as both girls squealed and engulfed me in squeezing arms in the middle of the sidewalk a few doors down from the brownstone. They immediately dragged me home, forcing me to sit down while they fluttered around me, making supper and forcing glasses of milk and orange juice down my throat.

When supper was over, the girls sat excitedly nearby as I called my in-laws with trembling fingers, holding my breath as I listened for Esme to answer the phone. I knew that they were supportive of us now, but I still couldn't help but be afraid that they might be unhappy. Thankfully, my fears were unfounded as Esme squealed in delight, shouting into the background to Carlisle who ran into the room to join on the conversation. Within moments of hearing the news, Esme began making hints to Carlisle that if they finally made the move back east that they had been discussing that she could help ease the burden of caring for a newborn with the father away.

I settled into bed that night with a bright smile on my face, anxiously awaiting Edward's response to the news as I rubbed my still flat stomach, knowing that in a few short weeks, the telltale bump would appear above my hipbones.

I returned to work the next morning, scribbling in a meeting for the two of us at the first possible opening in his schedule at ten the next morning. Marcus came in seeming frazzled as he kept fidgeting with his tie and rubbing the nape of his neck roughly. He had two phone conferences early, coming out afterward looking even more concerned. All too soon, ten o'clock rolled around. Before I had a chance to even tell him I had written us in, he waved me into the office with a furrow in his brow.

"Bella, I need to have a conference with you. There's something big going on and I can't pin down what it is. Can…can you do me a favor and see if you can get some information secretary to secretary that I haven't been able to get personally?"

I sucked in a deep, steady breath with a smile. "I can do you one better. Alice can sweet talk info out of just about anybody. Let me see if she can work her magic in Chicago. Is there anything in particular you need?"

He grimaced. "We need full accounting sheets for all income and expenditures for the past three months, with particular focus on raw material purchasing costs."

I nodded as I scribbled in my notebook, to make sure I had all my details straight. I glanced up, gauging if it was a good time to tell him about the baby, before finally deciding it could wait. I asked if there was anything else he needed. He shook his head without looking up as he frowned down at some tally sheets in his hands.

I told him to buzz me if he needed anything before walking out of his office and straight down to Alice. She smiled at me deviously with a small salute. "Consider it done, bosslady."

"I told you not to call me that, Alice. Not only is it inaccurate, but it's not smart around here."

Alice snorted. "Your husband has left all of his shares in this company to you in the event of his not returning. In my mind that makes you the boss of every person working for Cullen Steel. You can argue it all you want, but you wield more power here than Marcus could ever hope for."

I snorted rolling my eyes before asking if she's like to grab lunch with me. She smiled with a nod as she lifted the receiver to her phone and began the process of patching herself through to her counterpart at the Chicago offices of Cullen Steel.

****

Two days later, Marcus' mood had only managed to deteriorate as we waited for the package Alice had coerced out of Chicago to arrive by express delivery. Once we received it and Alice and Marcus had a chance to go over the information late Thursday afternoon, he along with both Alice and I were worse than ever. We sat at the large oval table in the conference room, all of our aching heads resting in our hands as we stared down at the numbers that did not lie. The Volturi brothers were not only practicing shady business practices, but they were making choices that could end up closing the company's doors for good while the three of us stood by, powerless to stop it.

Marcus, Alice, and I stayed up all night that night, trying to think of anything we could do, but to no avail. Mrs. Cope was shocked to find us still in the conference room when she arrived early the next morning.

"Ms. Swan, you have no business working all night in your condition! You need a good night's sleep dear! It's crucial for the health of you both."

I stared at the woman wide eyed, wondering how on earth she knew. Besides Alice, Rose and my in-laws, I had told no one about my pregnancy. I shot Alice an accusing glare, only to receive a confused headshake in response. Marcus looked between the three of us before turning to me.

"Bella? What is she talking about?"

I looked at Mrs. Cope in shock as she smirked at me. "I have had four children, dear, and have helped many of my sisters through their own pregnancies. I can spot that glow a mile away dear. I was just waiting for you to let us know."

I sighed with a nod before glancing nervously at a shocked Marcus. He blinked at me slowly, still in shock as I began to explain. "I'm sorry Marcus. I intended to tell you on Tuesday, but then you were so upset and worried about this situation and I didn't want to add to your stresses. It's not that big of a deal. I can still work up until the baby is born. I'm only about eight weeks along, so we have nearly seven months before it will be a major issue."

Marcus sighed slowly with a dazed nod before finally pushing to stand from the table. "I..um…need to go for a walk. Mrs. Cope is right, Bella. A woman in your condition should not be working such grueling hours. Take the rest of the day off. I'll think this over and try to come up with some kind of solution by Monday morning. Um…Congratulations, Bella. I'm happy for you, truly."

I nodded, nibbling on my lower lip as I watched him sigh, scrubbing his neck roughly as he rushed from the room. I looked back at Alice anxiously as she smiled encouragingly.

"Everything will be okay, Bella. I just know it. We just need some time to work up a plan of action."

I nodded as I began collecting the papers we had received. Alice helped before assisting me in locking them in the safe under my desk. There was no way we would ever let those papers end up in any other hands besides ours. The information on them was far too dangerous to the future of Cullen Steel.

I yawned as I went to the restroom to straighten my clothing, hoping I didn't look too worse for wear aside from the dark rings under my eyes from lack of sleep and stress. Finally feeling somewhat more presentable, I left to go tell Mrs. Cope that I would be gone for the rest of the day and grab my purse from my desk.

I never made it to her office, however, when I discovered a thin man with thick dark hair and wearing an expensive suit standing at my desk. I approached him with a smile, introducing myself as Ms. Swan the executive assistant to Mr. Volturi. I felt a chill run up my spine as the man smiled creepily at me, extending a cold bony hand to me.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Swan. I am Marcus's father, Aro Volturi, current CEO of Cullen Steel, and your boss by default. Now please tell me where I can find my incompetent son."

I swallowed past the lump in my throat composed of a combination of fear and anger. This man was ruining my husband one slimy decision at a time while he was half a world away fighting for his freedoms. It made me want to spit in his face and curse him to the ends of the earth, but instead I smiled politely, doing my best not to give myself away.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Volturi, but Mr. Marcus had to step out this morning for a meeting across town. I'm not sure how long he will be out. Can I leave him a message for you?"

He scoffed waving a hand of dismissal at me mumbling, "some secretary, she can't even keep his schedule straight,' before speaking up at me with arrogant authority. "I am going to take up residence in his office while I wait to conduct some business. For the rest of the day you are mine. I want a cup of hot coffee on my desk in three minutes, one sugar, no cream, or you're fired."

I stepped around the desk, my fisted hands behind my back to hide them as they dug crescent shapes into my palm. "I am sorry sir, but in an effort to do our part for the war effort and have more for the rest of the country, our office has chosen not to partake in our portion of the sugar rations. We do not have any to add for you."

He growled at me, his face growing red with anger. "Then you better go down the street and find a restaurant to get some or you can expect to find your pink slip on your desk first thing tomorrow morning. I expect that coffee on my desk in no less than ten minutes, sweetheart, or it's your livelihood."

With that, he turned and slammed the door, leaving me fuming as I stared at the dark wood, sending mental daggers into the man's heart. How was it even possible that this man and Marcus were related in any way? They were as opposite as two men could possibly be.

As I grabbed my purse and made my way toward the elevators, I did think of one positive in this situation. With any luck, I would find Marcus while out and warn him of what was to come. I was almost certain that he could use all the preparation he could get.

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**Author's Note: Think you hate Aro now? Just wait until the next chapter, which I finished just a bit ago and will post later this week. Don't worry though, eventually he will get his just desserts!**


	9. The Eyes of A Soulless Man

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**Author's Note: Want sneak peeks for ACW's currently posting fics? Go to my blog at acullenwannabe dot blogspot dot com! **_**I'm warning you right now. You thought you hated Aro in the last chapter? Yeah, you haven't seen anything yet! Just repeat after me, he WILL get his in the end….HE WILL GET HIS in the end!**

**Thanks as always to my brilliant, speedy, talented beta AgoodWITCH.**

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**The Eyes of A Soulless Man**

I rushed through the city streets, looking for a café where I might be able to buy some sugar for Aro's coffee. Finally, the third place I tried gave me some after I paid for three times the cost of a single cup of joe. I was huffing as I rushed back to the building, thankfully catching Marcus just as he was walking toward the front door.

When I explained about his father, he blanched, his eyes growing wide with panic. I explained my need to rush back up before suggesting he make himself scarce and call in to inform me that he was detained across town and was going to be late getting in, figuring that would at least buy him another hour or more. He nodded before rushing down the street in the opposite direction.

I rushed back up to our floor, pouring the coffee on my way to the office and adding the sugar, sitting it on the desk next to Aro's right arm with less than a minute to spare. He sneered up at me as he spoke on the phone.

"I know and I don't care, Caius. I want those mills up and running as soon as possible with my modifications. Inform the board that we will be sending out the dividend checks next week, along with the executive bonuses."

He looked up at me with a glare before waving his hand at me as though shooing a fly away. I turned and rushed out of the office to the safety of my desk, collapsing into my chair as I felt my heart beating in my extremities.

"This cannot be good for the baby at all," I mumbled, trying to get my body to calm itself. I rested my head back with my eyes closed, jumping up when I heard the door open swiftly.

Aro stomped out throwing a pile of papers on my desk. Stamp these with Marcus' seal and send them out immediately. No delays or it's your head. I nodded as he disappeared behind the doors, collecting the scattered papers. My eyes bulged as I looked at the papers before me, knowing Marcus would never agree to these. I hadn't worked with him long, but I knew his signature well and these were obvious forgeries.

Making a split second decision, I yanked out some similar forms from my drawer, while tucking the papers he had given me into my purse. I made a show of loudly stamping the forms and folding them, glad that Aro observed the last envelope being stamped with the Cullen New York seal before a stamp was added to the corner.

At that same moment, the phone rang. I answered in my professional voice, relieved to hear from Marcus. I made a big show of informing him of Aro's presence and asking if I could make arrangements for him in his difficulty. Somehow, Marcus had managed to concoct a story about his meeting having been moved to New Jersey before calling, making his difficulty in returning all the more believable.

As I hung up the phone, I broke the news that Marcus would be arriving at one in the afternoon at the absolute soonest. Aro huffed loudly and stormed back into the office with a loud slamming of the door. To my great relief, he did not emerge again or page me for the rest of the morning.

Before I left for my lunch break, Aro opened the door abruptly stomping by, mumbling something about lunch. Relieved to be free of him, I took the opportunity to stow the papers he had pushed upon me earlier into the safe along with the papers from the Chicago office before going with Alice to lunch. Before I left, I drafted a note on my desk to inform whoever arrived back first that I had gone for lunch and would return in half an hour.

After a nice relaxing lunch with Alice, a wonderful break from the stress of the last day and a half, I returned to the office to find chaos. The yelling of the two men could be heard all the way down to Mrs. Cope's office. I cringed as I shuffled as quietly as possible to my desk, taking my seat and looking at the massive pile of random papers that had accumulated there in my short absence.

After another hour of nonstop yelling, the door finally flew open, bouncing off the wall as Aro stormed out. He glared at me as he passed, smacking my desk on his way by. "Just so you know, little secretary girl, you are fired."

I blinked at him in surprise, unsure of what I had done to be fired. "Why?" I squeaked out in my surprise.

He glared at me. "You left your post without permission. I gave you no leave to go to lunch and Marcus was not here to allow it. Simply leaving a note on your desk is not acceptable as I had no secretary when I returned ten minutes after I had left."

I shook my head in confusion. "But it is not our practice here to have to be dismissed. I have a set lunchtime every day and I left a note to inform anyone who returned. These are not grounds to fire me, Mr. Volturi."

He sneered at me, leaning in so that he was nose to nose with me. "I RUN THIS COMPANY! I get to say who is in my employ and you are not!"

I swallowed the bitter bile in my throat as my heart raced in my chest. I stared nervously into the eyes of an evil man without a soul. I could see without having known him for an entire day that the man was cold and heartless. He didn't care about the company or the people who worked for him, and he most certainly didn't care about the people that the company's product was meant to protect. His only motivation was money and power, and he didn't care who he crushed to keep it.

I never looked away from him, even though I wanted to, grateful when Marcus spoke up from the doorway, making the devil's spawn look away first. "Leave her alone. Your quarrel is with me."

He turned to me with an exhausted look of apology. "Nevermind him. He doesn't get to decide work policy or hiring practices at this branch, even if he is the CEO, unless he wants to bring a board vote into it. To do that would be a show of weakness on his part that he couldn't control the situation on his own. He can do nothing without hurting his powerbase, so just ignore him."

I nodded, feeling the tears that I had been suppressing well in my eyes at the desolate look on Marcus' face. Aro growled next to me before sweeping all of the supplies on top of my desk to the floor. He snarled, leaning in close once more with a shaking finger less than an inch from my nose.

"Mark my words, little girl, you WILL be without a job and soon."

With that last threat, he turned and stomped down the hallway, shoving the poor mailman to the floor as he walked past. I looked nervously back at Marcus who watched the man retreat before rushing to the front of my desk in panic.

"Bella, please tell me you didn't send those papers. Please!"

I smiled brightly as I reached down to open the safe, pulling them out and fanning them in front of him. He took them with a sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping as he shook his head.

"Oh thank God for you, Bella! You don't even know what you just saved us from."

I sighed, nodding my head. "I have a pretty good idea."

Marcus ripped the papers to shreds before dropping them into my wastebasket and setting a match to them. He watched the curl into black strips of ash before assisting me in putting my desk back in order and asking me to join him in his office. He sat behind his desk with a moan as he rested his forehead against his palm.

"We have to do something, Bella, or Edward will be left with nothing when he returns."

I sighed with a nod. "I know, Marcus. Tell me what to do and I will do my best to see it happen."

He chuckled darkly. "Figure out a way to bring your husband back, that or find a way to get the controlling vote back in our favor."

"What would that take?" I asked quietly.

"Short of Edward coming home? You taking over his shares, but neither one of us want the events to transpire that would give you that power."

I sucked in a strangled breath as tears trickled from the corner of my eyes at the thought of my husband dying halfway across the world. Marcus looked up realizing what he said before rushing to my side and hugging my shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I never should have said anything like that. Especially with you in your present condition…" His eyes grew wide as he looked me over again.

"Oh geez! I told you to go home hours ago and then he showed up and kept you from leaving. You must be exhausted Bella. Go home right now. You deserve the rest of the afternoon to yourself. Catch up on your rest and eat a good meal. I'll see you Monday."

I looked at Marcus appraisingly. "Are you sure? I can stay if you need me. I'm really doing okay, considering."

He shook his head. "No, please go rest. We'll discuss this on Monday. With any luck I will have been able to see our way through this."

I nodded before getting up to gather my things and head home. I was on the verge of passing out when I finally climbed the stoop to the brownstone, fumbling with the keys to get inside. I paused to grab the mail from my mailbox, finding myself instantly awake. I rushed inside, desperate for the comfort of my husband's words.

I carefully opened the flap and unfolded the pages written in his meticulous script as one long letter was laid out before me.

_My dearest love,_

_I cannot sleep to save my life tonight, so I decided to take the opportunity to write you a long letter to ship out on the mail plane expected tomorrow. Things are difficult for all of us. Jasper, Emmett, and I retain our sanity by telling stories to one another of our girls. I now feel like I know Alice and Rose nearly as much as I do Emmett and Jasper. Those two guys are far more than head over heels. I look forward to attending their weddings when we return, watching you stand up with the girls. From what I understand both girls want big church weddings. _

_Hearing them go on and on about the weddings they plan to have, I can't help but wonder if I stole that from you with the way I married you. For the rest of my days, I will never regret making you mine, but I hope with all my heart that I didn't steal a lifelong fantasy from you. If you wish it so, I would be more than willing to throw you the most beautiful vow renewal ceremony the states has ever seen when I return. Since you are already my wife, it's the best I could think of. If that is your wish, then please let me know and tell my mom. I'm sure she would have it planned the second I stepped back on US soil._

_I so wish I could sleep right now, because every time I do, I am haunted by the most wonderful images of you. I say haunted because it hurts to wake up and not have you by my side, but I still wouldn't trade the glimpses of your smiling face, your hair falling down your back as you toss back your head in laugher, and all the other beautiful images that engulf me nightly for all the money in the world. You are what gets me through each wretched day._

_I can't say too much because the censors will block it out. I can't give places, dates, or anything of the sort, but things are getting rough up there. The skies seem to be getting thicker and thicker with Hitler's fighters, and they are ruthless and cunning. Pray for me, Bella…me, Jasper, and Emmett, because we all need it. We are fighting to come home to you, but it's harder than we ever expected._

_I live my life for you, my love. You have all of me that is worth having. I love you with every fiber of my being. Please keep yourself safe as you promised. I love you more than life itself._

_Forever yours,_

_Edward_

I sobbed as I read his words over and over. It was so easy to get wrapped up in the war we were fighting right here in our own country, that it was easy to forget that in our worst moments, what we were dealing with was nothing in comparison to the peril my Edward and our friends were in. I stripped my suit off my body, not bothering to remove my stockings as I curled up on the bed, his letter fisted in my hand as I slowly sobbed myself to sleep.


	10. Crucial Correspondence

Disclaimer: I do not own recognizable characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

_**Author's Note:**_ _**Most of you have grown used to me by now. I've been known to change my mind..and I've done it once again. This will be RARE, but I have added an Edward POV…don't get too excited…it's not what you think, but hopefully it will lead to what you think in the NEXT chapter!**_

_**As always a huge thanks to my beta AgoodWITCH! She's forever catching my errors in POV and tense usage…as well as my occasional goofs in plot! She's awesome!**_

_**And Finally, I will end this long A/N with a reminder that teaser chapters are available on my blog acullenwannabe. Blogspot .com I have recently added a new feature so you can add your email address to the subscription on the far right side and get emails when I post, so please take a minute to go check that out. Sneak Peeks for both Chapter 11 of Flyboy and Chapter 5 of Sovereign Fate are already up!**_

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**Crucial Correspondence**

Aro never returned to the office after he tossed the contents of my desk to the floor and stormed out. I assumed that he must have decided he had taken care of the business he intended while he was here and there was no need to stay. What he hadn't counted on was that not only was I not simply a secretary, ignorant of the actual business taking place at Cullen Steel, but that I also had a very passionate personal stake in the well being of this company. I had spent the previous eighteen hours pouring over the financial reports with Marcus and Alice. I knew exactly what those forms would put into motion, and there was no way in Hades I was going to let that happen. Aro made a lot of assumptions that day, assumptions that would one day come back and bit him in his hind quarters if I had anything to say about it.

When we all returned to work on Monday, poor Marcus looked as though he hadn't gotten any sleep the entire weekend. As soon as I had my purse settled under my desk, he was asking me to join him in his office. He melted into his chair, chugging the first cup of coffee for the day before turning to me with sad eyes.

"I don't have any answers at all, Bella. Without Edward's proxy, we have no leg to stand on. I just can't believe that Edward dot every 'I' and cross every 't' Cullen didn't leave something in place when he left. It was so unlike him. Can you do me a favor? Ask him in your next letter if there was something left in place? I don't want to bother him with the worry, but if we don't do something he will be even more upset that we didn't consult him."

I nodded solemnly with a sigh. I asked if Marcus had anything more for me and he simply shook his head no, telling me to go write a letter and mail it right away. We couldn't risk the loss of another minute. I rushed to my desk, quickly writing a long letter to Edward, telling him all that we had learned over the past week, and asking him if he had left anything in place in regard to a proxy for his votes in the board. I added a quick personal note telling him I prayed for him constantly and missed him more than words could describe before addressing the envelope. I placed the stamp right side up, hoping this would draw his attention to the importance of the letter, and rushed down to reception to ask Angela to get it in the mail sooner rather than later.

She looked down at the envelope and then back up to me with wide blinking eyes. I knew I could trust Angela. The only absolute truth I had learned through the interactions within the office workers was that Angela Webber-Cheney was a true blue to the core good and honest person. Her mouth dropped open as she finally finished processing the info as I smirked at her while lifting my finger to my lips. She closed her mouth slowly, the expression on her face morphing into a wry smile before she nodded, tucking the envelope into her pocket.

"It's urgent, Angela, and business related. I would consider it a personal favor if you could go down to drop it at the post box right now. Then we don't have to worry about anybody else catching wind of anything, okay?"

She nodded emphatically before grabbing her purse and disappearing quickly toward the elevator. I stopped in Mrs. Cope's office informing her that I sent Angela on an errand for Marcus and that she needed to send one of the other girls to reception to fill in until she returned. Mrs. Cope smiled with a nod before looking back to the forms in her hands.

I walked quickly back to my desk, settling into my chair with a sigh. I glanced to see Marcus had left a note on my desk, so I slid a blank piece of letterhead paper into my typewriter and began dictating the letter he requested. I double checked it for accuracy before taking it in for him to sign.

When I walked through the door after knocking softly, I discovered him on the phone, his forehead cradled in his palm as he spoke robotically in response to the person on the other end of the line. It didn't take long before I realized it was Aro, and evidently, my lack of doing as ordered had already become known in Chicago. I could hear the yelling voice across the room emanating from the headset.

Marcus smiled up at me sadly, as I slid the paper under his elbow to sign. He picked up his fountain pen, signing the letter in his precise script so similar to Edward's and yet so different. I smiled comfortingly at him, patting his shoulder in consolation as I picked the paper back up from the desk. He locked eyes with me, a million apologies and pleas conveyed in one lingering look. I let my hand slide down to grasp his hand resting limply on the table, squeezing once in solidarity before turning to leave, only to find Lauren Mallory staring at us with her mouth agape. Her eyes narrowed slightly before she turned without a word and stormed from the room.

I sighed rolling my eyes at what was sure to be the new office gossip, and quite honestly the very least of either of our worries at the moment, before turning to walk back to my desk. I addressed the envelope, placing the letter of inquiry inside and addressing the envelope as instructed to a Mr. Douglas Varner of the US War Production Board. From typing the letter, I knew that he happened to be a school friend of Marcus' who he was looking to for advice. Marcus was attempting to ascertain whether individual board members in power could be brought up on charges for misappropriation of funds and resources provided toward the production materials devoted to the war effort without the company itself coming under pain of sanction. It was a risk to reach out to the man, but we were running out of options with our hands so studiously tied.

By this time, I was approaching my lunch time, so I poked my head in to tell Marcus I was leaving a bit early to mail the letter, stopping to tell Alice and Mrs. Cope the same before walking to reception to ride the elevator down to the ground floor. When the doors opened in the lobby, I found myself face to face with Lauren and Jessica, the two least friendly girls in the office. They both glared at me as I exited the car before they entered. As I walk past they mumbled something about 'chippy getting knocked up by the boss.' My stomach lurched at the fact that within a very short time, the rumor had already morphed into such an atrocious falsehood.

I hurried down the street, managing to catch the elderly postman as he began to empty the box. He smiled sweetly at me as he took my important letter, and tucked it safely in his bag. I sighed in relief that the important letter got out without anyone being the wiser and hoped my other important letter of the day was delivered just as safely.

**June 1, 1943, On the USS Ranger, somewhere near the Bearing Strait, Edward POV**

Due to the blasted storms that had raged through our area of the ocean for three days last week, the mail plane had been delayed an entire week. It was maddening knowing for the past week that at least one, if not more letters from my Bella were sitting in some storage facility somewhere in Britain, waiting for the next scheduled trip. I was going through withdrawal like an alcoholic shaking his way through early sobriety. I clung to her previous letters, rereading them every night before bed, but nothing compared to reading her new words every week. Ever since the first letters were sent between the two of us, I made sure that I sent a letter out every week, and inevitably I would receive one that very same day.

I waited anxiously on deck, carefully out of the way of the plane prep area, but close enough to be one of the first to get the mail once the plane arrived. Jasper and Emmett were nearby, smoking their bartered cigarettes and tapping their feet, apparently as hard up for word from their girls as I was mine. Being here was definitely misery. Neither the guys, nor myself ever really laid it on the line for our girls how bad it was for us, trying to keep their spirits up and also trying to keep the censors from blacking out most of our letters, but as bad as I thought it would be here, it was far worse.

Pilots around us were dropping like flies. We had gotten into the habit after the last month to not even try to make new friendships, because it seemed like the kiss of death. Every time we made a new friend, they would get shot down on the next go round. Eventually we just slipped into a comfortable companionship of three and steered clear of the rest of the sky jockeys. How do you tell your wife any of this though? I could never burden her with it, so I try to stay as upbeat as I can and focus on the things I know she'd want to hear, like how much I miss her and how important her letters are to me. Even that I downplay, though, because if she knew exactly how much I clung to those three or four pages of words scented by her perfume and oils from her hands, she would probably be unnerved.

Finally, the plane appeared on the horizon, coming in to land with a jerky halt upon the deck of the ship. The bags were unloaded by four men, twice as many left behind this time around as had been the week before. I smiled knowing Bella's words were in there, just waiting for me.

The mess hall was chaos as we all followed the bags below deck like lemmings, running blindly behind the letters, following them wherever they led us. I listened intently as the names were called, smiling as one, two, and then finally a third letter were handed to me over the heads of my shipmates. I glanced at them with a smile as my wife's beautiful, slightly messy scrawl graced the outside of all three. Something struck me as odd though as I stared down at the three enveloped as though they were the finest jewels in all the world.

I glanced through them once more before I noticed that one stamp was turned right side up. Frowning down at the little square, I wondered if she had simply been in too much of a rush to remember our code, or if it meant something more. I examined more closely to notice that the writing of the return address was most notably messier than usual.

I sat down at a table, tucking the other two in my trouser pocket as is sliced open the top flap with my finger and read over the anxious words of my poor wife, left behind to fight the battles of the corporate world without me. Her words both angered me at the misuse of my company in my absence and anger with myself for not making the full complement of my contingency plans for Bella fully known. Obviously, she had not informed my parents, or else they would have told her and three weeks wouldn't have been wasted while the letter made its way to me through army mail.

Running my hand though my short shorn hair, I stood up, pushing my way through the crowd in search of the Admiral. It was imperative not for just my company, but for the war effort at large that I contact my wife as soon as possible and inform her of what was set in place before I left. My stomach felt like it was full of nothing but pure churning acid as I made my way to the bridge, hoping against hope that the Admiral would see things in the same way as me and arrange for me to make a call back to the states.

The two letters full of lovely words from my wife were burning holes in my pocket, but I knew I had to deal with business first before I could worry with pleasure. Besides, with any luck, I might get the chance to hear her voice before it was all said and done, or at the very least send her a telegram.


	11. Blessed Revelations

**Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**Author's Note: I know I changed my mind before, but I'm pretty sure that this will be the last of the EPOV in this story. I hope you guys enjoyed it. **_

_**Thanks as always to AgoodWitch for being my ever present beta! **_

_**Want to see a teaser for the next chapter? Go to my blog acullenwannabe dot blogspot dot com! Next Post: Monday**_

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**Blessed Revelations**

**June 1****st****, 1943, London, England**

I had never been more grateful for my company's deep ties to the war effort than I was when I approached the Admiral about finding a way to contact home directly. It took me half an hour of wading through several officers and the XO before I finally got to enter the Admiral's office.

The Admiral frowned at me from behind his desk, his fingers steepled sharply under his chin, as I stood at attention before him mid salute. "Cullen, I have a ship to run, this better be good. At ease, and take a seat."

I nodded before sitting across from the man in the narrow wooden seat provided.

"I apologize, sir. I never would have bothered you if this wasn't crucial. I'm not sure if you know, but I am the majority shareholder back home in Cullen Steel. We are the primary provider of defense grade steel used in the auto industry prior to the war, and now are providing the majority of the steel supply for the war effort. I just received a letter from my wife, sir, that there is a problem with the company. The man I left in charge was shanghaied out of his place by other stockholders, and the man currently running the whole operation is siphoning money and putting out a lesser quality product. It is imperative that I somehow am able to go ashore to England to make some phone calls to get this situation righted. All of the paperwork is in place for my wife to take on my shares in the event I die, and there was a side caveat that if an emergency arose in the event of my absence that she could take on controlling interest in the company with my father's approval and assistance. I beg of you sir to give me a short leave and allow me to head out on the next available transport."

My heart was pounding in my chest as the large hardened man glared at me, his nose twitching occasionally in a way that made me terribly uneasy. He ran his tongue over his teeth behind his upper lip, releasing the suction of his lips with an audible pop.

"If it were for any other reason, Cullen, I would never allow it, but it's crucial that the materials being sent to the front be as high of quality as possible. We're expecting a supply plane in at 15:30. I'll send an order to your CO, telling him that you will be taking a BRIEF shore leave, and to keep you in from any missions until after you have returned. I will arrange for you to fly back on the next supply run in three days time. Make it happen and be on that plane, or you will face court-martial. Am I clear Cullen?"

"Crystal, Admiral, thank you."

He nodded handing me a quickly scribbled set of orders to provide the transport before shooing me away as he began scribbling on another form in front of him. I ran straight down to the bunks, glancing at my watch and picking up my pace when I saw that it was already 15:17. Jasper and Emmett watched me as I hurriedly shoved my shaving bag and a few changes of clothes in my gunny sack as I hurriedly tried to explain. They wished me luck with pats on the shoulder as I dashed back on deck to see that the plane had already arrived and was mostly unloaded.

Once the last palette was removed from the large plane, I approached the pilot, handing him my orders. A few minutes later, I was strapped into an uncomfortable jump seat in the cargo storage area, feeling every bump and shudder of the plane as we navigated our way northwest toward the coast of Great Britain. I wanted so badly to read the letters still waiting in my pocket, but the lighting was far too low to see, not to mention the rough ride, so I opted to wait until after I had heard her voice, making her words all the sweeter when I read them.

We touched down at 17:25 at an airfield just south of London proper. I took a moment to calculate the time difference, noting that Bella would be gone to lunch during this time as she had detailed in her previous letters. Once inside and processed through, I ran to the mess hall to inhale some quick sustenance before searching out a phone that I would be allowed to use to call the states. It took the promise of insisting that the offices reverse the charges before I was allowed to use the phone lines to make my call to the Cullen Offices in New York.

**June 1****st****, 1943, Cullen Steel Office, New York City, 1:24pm**

Things had been difficult the past few weeks since the mess with Aro started. Since then, Aro has been a major thorn in our side. Thankfully, the new office was too high profile for him to do too much without drawing attention to himself, but that didn't keep from him calling on a daily basis to harass us, and cutting the office budget in half. This forced us to lay off much of our staff, working with a skeleton crew of only Marcus, Alice, Angela, Mrs. Cope and myself on a full time basis. We all branched out beyond our hired positions to shoulder the strain.

It was a typically stressful day as we each took turns taking lunch breaks, spreading them out so we had the most employees on site as humanly possible at all times. We also voluntarily cut our lunch breaks in half, and often ate while we worked. Today, I had to leave the office to have my second doctor's appointment during my lunch break, thankfully getting good news besides the doctor's mild concern over my slightly elevated blood pressure. I explained a bit of the strain and he agreed it was most likely the culprit, but still intimated that I needed to relax at every available opportunity. I smiled and nodded, while rolling my eyes internally.

I had gotten back at 1:15, grabbing my steno pad and settling into Marcus' office to take dictation on some letters that needed sent out immediately. I was halfway through my notations for the second letter when Angela burst into the office with wild, excited eyes.

"We have an operator on the line with a call from Mr. Edward Cullen from London, asking if we will reverse the charges!"

My eyes flew wide as I ran to Marcus' phone, yanking up the receiver and instantly babbling to the operator that we would accept the charges immediately. I looked up to see Marcus' hands grasped at his chest as he closed his eyes and moved his lips in what appeared to be silent prayer. A few seconds later the most wonderful voice in the world greeted me, making my body vibrate from head to toe with joy.

"Is that my beautiful Mrs. Cullen on the line?"

I gasped a cry as tears rolled down my cheeks. "Edward! Oh thank God! I can't believe I'm talking to you. I miss you so much, sweetheart!"

Angela smiled brightly at me, quietly closing the door, but not before I got a peek of a sniffling Alice and a smiling Mrs. Cope on the other side of the door jamb.

"Oh God, Bella. I love you so much. You can't even know how good it is to hear your voice. I got your letter this afternoon and begged the Admiral to let me go ashore to call you."

My heart began to pound. He got that letter, but did he didn't mention the one sent just days before. Did he not get it?

"Edward, did you get any other letters before that?"

I could hear the smile in his voice. "The mail plane couldn't make it last week due to a storm. So I got three of your letters today, but I haven't gotten to read the others since I opened this one first because of the stamp and have been working to get to the phone ever since. Why? Is everything okay?"

I began to sob when I realized that I was going to get to tell Edward over the phone, instead of simply in a letter. "I have a lot to tell you, Edward, but I have to tell you this first because it's so much more important and I'm so happy I get to actually tell you myself. Edward, one of those two letters you haven't opened yet is to give you some amazing news, sweetheart. You know how you wrote to me about Garrett and his wife Kate? Well, we're in the same situation, sweetheart! I'm pregnant!"

I heard a gasp followed by a choked sort of sob before his strained voice echoed over the static filled connection. "Oh, God, Bella, that is the best thing anyone has ever told me! I…I can't believe it! I'm going to be a father? You…you're carrying MY baby?"

I wept as I said yes over and over. For a total of five minutes, we were completely lost in our bubble of joy.

"Bella, you just gave me one more reason to kick Hitler's ass and get home to you as soon as I can. I love you so much sweetheart. Are you both okay? I mean, the doctors say everything is alright?"

I smiled and sniffled. "I just got back from my second appointment a short while ago. My blood pressure is a little up, but with everything going on around here, that didn't surprise me. Beyond that everything is perfect he says."

Edward growled. "Damn that son of a bitch." I gasped at his words. I hadn't known him all that long, but I had already figured out that Edward was not one for the casual use of foul language.

"Not only is he fucking with my company, he's risking the health of my wife and my unborn child. That asshole is going to wish he was never born when I get home. But until then, love, we have to get a few things taken care of. I'm so angry with myself for not telling you about all of this before I left. This whole thing could have been taken care of weeks ago if you only knew. I've made so many mistakes in this whole situation."

I sighed, wishing I could run my hands through his hair and across his strong shoulders to comfort him. "It's okay, sweetheart. We're all writing the playbook as we go. Just tell us how we can fix this and we will. We should have told you about this ages ago, but we didn't want you distracted over there. We are all at fault here, Edward."

He sighed again, as I pictured him sitting in a room with the blinds drawn, tugging at his hair so hard that the roots would most certainly be aching. "I assume you didn't go to Carlisle with this either. He could have already started the process because he's the one who helped me to organize everything and even hinted that this could be a possibility. I should have just handed over the whole thing then, but at the time you were panicking over me providing you an account with the bank and a new place, I figured you would have a stroke if I tried to give you shares of my company."

I chuckled, rubbing my temples as a blush flamed up my neck. "I would have totally pitched a fit. I'm sorry, baby. I really am. Your Mom has really helped me to see things a little differently when it comes to all of that."

I could hear his smirk over the phone. "So you're using it then?"

I smiled. "I've used it to pay for the doctor and to buy the furniture I have, but nothing beyond that."

He chuckled. "Well that's better than nothing, love. And now for the rest of what we need to have done. Do you have a piece of paper and a pencil?"

"Yes, I'm ready."

"Good," He said. "Here's what you need to do…"

I was in heaven for the next hour as we worked out all of the details of contacting Hannity and the information I needed to provide to confirm that Edward was in fact initiating what they entitled Plan E. I had a set order to go in after getting off the phone, that first meant a call to Carlisle, and then to Hannity, before going to the National City Bank of New York on First and Seventy Ninth. There I would have access a safety deposit box containing the papers that Hannity would need, already signed and ready for authentication and submission that would officially make 59% of Cullen Steel legally mine. Explaining our unique situation, he had convinced the bank to allow me and only me access without the possession of a key. After the papers were in hand, I would have to make my way back into downtown to hand over the papers and allow the legal process to do its job. The whole process should only take a matter of a few days and then I would be completely vested and ready to attend the board meeting scheduled in two weeks.

I wept openly when the time came that I could no longer delay. While I had been talking to Edward, Alice had taken care of steps one and two for me so I could keep talking to Edward, but nobody could make the trip to the Upper West side to obtain the papers but me. I was finally only able to leave when Edward promised to call the house at six pm our time to continue our conversation. I would easily be able to pay for the reversed charges out of my account.

With that promise, which I clung to like a life raft in a hurricane, I rushed out with Alice and Marcus at my side to take care of the last of the process and, hopefully, be on our way to finally making all of this right once more.

I felt a strange combination of completely drained and completely exhilarated as I stumbled through the front door of my apartment at five fifteen in the evening. Everything had been set into motion. Calls had been made, Carlisle was coming to town to take care of the last bit of paperwork before he and Esme would be accompanying me to Chicago for the big board meeting.

Alice and Rose were abuzz as they rushed around the kitchen to fix me a meal, not leaving me on my own until the phone began to ring at five fifty nine. I picked up the phone with a smile as the operator asked if I would accept the charges. I immediately agreed, feeling my cheeks ache with the broad smile stretched across my lips.

"You're a minute early Mr. Cullen."

He chuckled. "Not technically. By the time the operator connected us, I suspect I was right on time."

I giggled before relaxing back in my chair, feeling light and free from stress for the first time in weeks and weeks.

"Do you even begin to know how much I adore you, Mrs. Bella Cullen?"

I sighed, "If it's anything near as much as I love you then it must be pretty immensely."

"I wish I could be there with you. I read your letters while I waited for the time to pass until I could call again," he said so quietly I could barely hear him over the loud static. "I'm going to miss everything, love. I'll miss seeing your belly swollen with my baby. I won't be able to rub your feet and your back and make sure you're eating properly. I mean, are you getting your vegetables? I hear that they are getting hard to come by. Have you and the girls any room to grow a garden like I keep hearing the men talking about?"

I chuckled. "I'm getting plenty of vegetables. Matter of fact, the girls keep shoveling their portions onto my plate to make sure I'm getting all my vitamins and nutrients, which worries me for them. We have a tiny square of grass out back that Rose has been digging up like a mad woman. She already had tomatoes, beans, and a few kinds of squash planted, but it's too soon to have anything to eat from it yet. And as far as seeing me all fat and bloated, I'm sure there will be more children in our future, Mr. Cullen. You can pamper me then."

I could hear his smile as his breath blew noisily past the mouthpiece on his side of the line. "I can't wait, Bella. Have you thought of any names yet?"

I shook my head. "I haven't had the time quite honestly, and it's still rather early. I have another seven months before the baby arrives."

"Well, just please no juniors, and let's not name him or her after anyone in our families. Let's come up with something completely on our own."

I smiled, tickled by how excited he was. "Anything you want, my husband. Let's make a point of trying to include a few suggestions in every letter. Hopefully in a few months we'll hit on something we both like."

"Sounds good to me, my love." Suddenly his voice grew muffled as he spoke before his voice grew strong again, yet full of regret. "I'm sorry, Bella, but the last person is getting ready to lock up the offices in this part of the base and says I can't stay without someone in the building. I have to go."

I sighed, feeling the hot tears already streaking down my cheeks. "I'm so incredibly grateful you were able to call me. I hate the situation that forced it to happen, but I'm so glad I got to talk to you again. I miss you so much. Don't worry about anything, okay? Promise me. Between Marcus, Alice, Carlisle, Esme, Rose, and Me, we will take care of this and keep your company safe. You just concentrate on keeping yourself straight. Okay?"

Edward sighed. "I'll promise you as long as you promise me. You and the baby come first. I would rather see the company crash and burn than for you or our baby to be hurt as a result of all this stress. Do you promise?"

"Do you?" I prodded, determined to get his word.

"I do if you do."

I sighed. "I promise. I love you so much Edward. Stay safe and come back to us. We'll be waiting."

I heard a sniffle. "I will do everything in my power to return to both of you as soon as possible."

"I love you, with all of my heart I love you."

"I love you too, Bella, more than you could ever possibly know. I have to go, but know if I had a choice I would never leave you."

"I know, my love." I answered softly before the click sounded on the other end of the line, leaving nothing but the static.

**June 2****nd****, 1943, London England, 01:00**

I read her words over and over on the printed page. It made me feel ill to have to hang up that phone, not knowing when I would get to hear her voice again, but I had no choice. With a little luck, I was hoping I could convince the office workers to let me place another call or two the next day since my flight out wouldn't be until the morning after that. Until then, I took the second best option of reading her words repeatedly. They were the most wonderful words ever spoken or written. My beautiful wife, the love of my existence, was having my baby. A part of her would be mixed with a part of me, forever linking us beyond anything else thus far. The joy that poured from my heart was so intense I couldn't help but let the tears fall as I read her letter over and over, tracing the perfect words and letting them steel my resolve. I WAS going home. Things kept getting worse and worse, but I was even more determined now. No fucking Kraut pilot was going to keep me from my wife and baby. No way in hell.

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_**Author's Note: Yeah, this E doesn't cuss much…only when he's really upset by something. We won't see that too much, although it's a much more frequent occurrence while at sea or in the air. See you again on Monday!**_


	12. The New VIP

**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any recognizable characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Author's Note: Originally, I intended this chapter to be the Board Meeting, but as I wrote, I realized I wanted to include this transition. I promise you, the next chapter is already written and IS the board meeting where Aro makes an official introduction to the little secretary girl, MRS. Cullen! Until then, please enjoy and go check out the chapter 13 teaser already posted on my blog. Chapter 13 will post Thursday. **

**Thanks to my beta AgoodWITCH for her consistent beta work.**

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**The New VIP**

Three days after the call was made, Esme and Carlisle arrived in the city by train. Even through their exhaustion, they beamed at me, hugging me tightly as we greeted one another. We grabbed the first available taxi to more easily transport their luggage, taking them excitedly to the brownstone to clean up and rest before supper. I was excited for Carlisle to see it, since he hadn't been back since before Esme found it for us.

After they cleaned up, Esme and Carlisle came back downstairs to join me in the living room. I glanced up in surprise at the wide smiles on their faces.

"Oh my, I didn't expect you down so soon. I assumed after such a long journey that you might want to take a nap. You must be completely exhausted."

Esme cocked her head, her eyes lit brightly from within. "I've been trapped in a train car with nothing to keep me company but a book. The last thing I want to do is lie in a quiet room! I would much rather hear how my daughter-in-law and grandbaby are doing, as well as hear about how my son sounded during your calls earlier this week."

I smiled at the mention of my wonderful husband. Not only did I get the pleasure of talking to him two times that first day, but I also got another call from him twice the following day and one more time the morning before he had to fly back to his post at sea. It was more wonderful than I could ever even begin to hope and renewed my faith that he would make it home to me. He was just as determined as I was to keep our child safe as well as keep his beloved company the way he left it.

Esme sat next to me on the couch, soaking in every word as I told her all the things Edward had shared with me as Carlisle listened in over the top of his newspaper from his place in the wingback chair by the fireplace on the far side of the room. I could almost see her relief with each new story. Her son was alive and well…and more determined than ever to get home again now that he had not one, but two lives to look after.

She laughed as I told her all about how reserved he had seemed the first day we had talked, as he brought up sensible things such as names, and how different that had been to our conversation the next morning after I called in to work telling them I would not be in the office. Nobody was surprised.

_As soon as I picked up the phone that morning and was connected with him after agreeing to the ungodly charges sure to be awaiting payment on my next bill, Edward babbled nonstop about nurseries and baby carriages and names he definitely didn't want the child stuck with. Apparently, we would not be naming the child after him, his father, or any of our family members. In addition, he didn't want our child to be another in the crowd, so no popular names such as James, Robert, William, Mary, Linda, or Barbara. No, baby girl or boy Cullen would have something strong and regal that would stand out in a crowd, but not in a garish way. _

_I giggled as I listened to him prattle on, wondering if his face wasn't blue from the lack of oxygen he must have been suffering. When he finally stopped, he sighed dreamily. I could almost see the glow in his eyes and the smile stretched across his deliciously soft bow shaped lips._

"_I swear I barely slept a wink last night, love. All I could think about was how much I can't wait to see our baby. I pray to God this war ends quickly so we can be together as soon as possible…all three of us. I still cannot believe that a few short months ago I didn't even know you, and now you and our new family comprises my entire world. I love you so much, Bella. You can't even begin to understand how happy you have made me, sweetheart!"_

_I smiled, caressing the handset as though he could feel my touch through the material. "But I do understand if it is anything like how happy I am. I still can't believe it."_

_The rest of our phone conversations stretched to the things going on, often drifting to the company. Edward outlined a few things he wanted me to be certain to have done during the board meeting, further telling me that he trusted me completely and would back any decision I made._

"_I am so lucky. Not only are you beautiful and wonderful, but you're so incredibly intelligent. I know you will make good decisions for us all. Go with your instincts and make sure you put yours and the baby's wellbeing above all else."_

_I smiled with a sigh. "I promise, Edward. I won't let you down in any way. I will keep the things you value most safe so they'll be waiting when you get home."_

_He sighed into the phone once more before he had to hang up for the last time. Neither of us knew when we would hear from the other again. More likely than not, it wouldn't be until he was home once more. We said our tearful goodbyes after which I curled up in my bed with the curtains pulled closed and caressed my belly, missing him more than ever._

Esme sighed happily as I finished my stories before getting up to make us all some supper, completely refusing to allow me to help. Instead, I set the table and sat on a chair in the kitchen, talking to her while she sauntered about making it all look so incredibly simple. Soon she started humming a song that made me smile. Before I knew what I was doing, I was singing along, as Esme looked up with a raised eyebrow and a bright smile before harmonizing.

"Someday I'll wish upon a star, and wake up where the clouds are far behind me. Where troubles melt like lemon drops, a way above the chimney tops is where you'll find me. Somewhere over the rainbow blue birds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow, why then oh why can't I?"

We both jumped in surprise when applause met us from the doorway where Carlisle leaned with a smirk stretched across his face so very like Edward's. Alice and Rose stood behind him clapping along with bright happy smiles. I felt my face blush, ducking my head to hide behind my curtain of hair as the girls offered to help Esme.

As we settled in at the table, the girls joining us, we all began chatting happily. After a while, Carlisle looked over with a devious expression.

"Every day I learn one more thing that makes me believe you and my son were truly created for one another. He's going to love playing the piano while you sing when he gets home, my dear. You are both quite talented."

I blushed again as everyone chimed in their agreement. We worked together to clean up the supper mess before visiting in the living room and listening to the news on the radio. Before long, Esme and Carlisle began to fade, so we all bid one another goodnight.

I wasn't tired yet, so I settled in on my bed with my box of stationary, beginning another letter to Edward. I had already sent him two since our last phone call. I couldn't help myself. I told him all about his parents arriving and our evening and his mom and I singing _Somewhere Over the Rainbow_ before telling him how that was one of my favorite movies of all time. It seemed like with every letter we kept thinking of little details to tell the other. It embarrassed me to know that we didn't know such little things about one another, but through communication, we were both learning.

Ever since our talk, I had started tossing a few names I found appealing on the bottom of each letter under my signature. After I signed my love that night, I thought about names that appealed to me. I couldn't help but be drawn to names that related to my hopes for our future. On the girl's side I wrote Grace Cullen, Faith Cullen, and Hope Cullen, while on the boy's side I put Biblical names with specific meanings, including Nathan (meaning gift) Cullen, Andrew (meaning Manly) Cullen, Ethan (meaning Strength) Cullen.

I sighed happily, folding and sealing the letter within the envelope before addressing it and affixing the stamp upside down as always. I smiled as I propped the letter up on my dresser before shutting off the light and curling under my blanket to sleep.

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The next morning was filled with a flurry of activity. Carlisle and Esme were up even before me, which was quite a feat considering the time difference. I awoke to the aroma of crisp bacon, eggs, and steaming coffee. I sighed as I settled into my seat, savoring the coffee that Esme had sweetened just for me, even though she really shouldn't have. With the sugar rationing, there was so little and I tried my best to save that for important recipe's that really needed it.

Once we were all dressed, fed, and our mess cleaned up, Carlisle, Esme, and I made our way across the city to the offices of Hannity and associates. I had to be honest, I couldn't help but feel a sense of vindication when I passed through the halls of this building where I had once been treated as an underling not worth a second glance and treated worse than a dog by some associates, but was now given the red carpet treatment. I was the daughter-in-law and wife of the most high profile clients this firm had. Not only that, I was on my way to a meeting where the final paperwork would be ratified placing the controlling interest of that company completely in my care, thus making me amongst their highest profile clients.

My vindication only soared to new heights when my former boss James Damon was sitting in on the meeting. He and my other former bosses didn't even look at me or speak directly to me until Carlisle interrupted them with a raised hand.

"I have to interrupt you, gentlemen. You are addressing the wrong individual in this room. You did the paperwork, so I am certain you are aware of that fact. I am simply here as a witness at the request of my son. Mrs. Isabella Cullen is your client and should be the one with which you confer in this matter. All final decisions from this point on are in her capable hands, not mine. So I suggest you give your actual VIP client your kowtowing, not me."

He smirked over at me as I looked up at him in surprise, a slow chuckle bubbling from my chest as I glanced back at the stunned men in front of me. They simply were not accustomed to a woman having this kind of power, especially in regard to such a high dollar corporation.

They blinked at me a few times with owlish eyes before finally sifting their posture and addressing me with the same respect as they had Carlisle, although the expression on James' face did nothing to hide the sour taste in his mouth as he did.

Half an hour later, the paperwork was signed, notarized, and made official. I tried not to tremble as I took the papers in my hands and exited the room with a nod, my in-laws following behind me. I rounded the corner to find a smirking Rosalie leaning against the wall.

"So did you inform them that you quit yet?" I asked her with a smirk, noticing some of my former coworkers eyeing me curiously.

"Why yes I did. Matter of fact, I am currently jobless. Know anyone who is hiring?"

I laughed wrapping my arms around the neck of my newest advisor. Nobody understood static strengths of materials like my engineering inclined best friend. She and Alice were going to be the two beings who helped me set the board straight and not with an emotional plea, but with exact numbers, figures, and facts.

"Well, newest employee of Cullen Steel, how would you feel about making your way over to the New York office with us for a meeting with Marcus and then maybe we could grab some lunch before going back and having a strategy session all evening. Do you think you're up for it?"

"Heck yeah! Let's shake the dust of this crummy old office and go plan a corporate takeover!"

I laughed, shaking my head as the heads all around us tracked us as we passed like floats in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Fifteen minutes later, I was entering the doors of Cullen Steel New York as a majority shareholder.

Four days later, Marcus, Alice, Rose, Esme, Carlisle, and I boarded a train for Chicago, fully prepared to turn the board room of Cullen Steel on its ear.


	13. Corporate Hat Trick

**Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**Author Note: Well this is the one we've been looking forward to…the big board meeting. Thanks as always to my poor overworked beta, AgoodWITCH. I keep her so busy, but she never complains…bless her heart. **_

_**There's not much else to tell tonight. I only have one chapter after this one archived that will post on Monday. With any luck, I'll get some writing time this weekend, but it's a busy one, so it's hard telling. I will post a teaser for chapter 14 on my blog tonight as well. If you haven't caught it before, it's acullenwannabe dot blogspot dot com. Thank you for reading and all of the awesome reviews. See you Monday!**_

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**Corporate Hat Trick**

Carlisle called ahead before we left New York to have people come in and prepare Edward's house for our arrival a few days later. I understood he came from money and I expected that any man with a life and bank account as lavish as his would have a nice place to live, but what I found when we arrived at the house at 1254 N Lake Shore Drive made me nearly hyperventilate. Never in my life could I have ever been prepared for what I would find.

The house was without a doubt the most amazing I had ever seen in real life. Constructed of a light stone and even including a turret, this three story house with a visible basement level was the epitome of every castle I had ever read about as a child.

I stumbled slightly as Carlisle led me to the front door and rang the bell. A sweet looking middle aged lady opened the door with a bright smile.

"Mr. Cullen, it's a pleasure to see you sir. We are all ready for you and our guests. Please come in."

She moved aside with a sweeping gesture for us to enter into the house. Carlisle led me once again with a comforting hand at the small of my back. I gasped at the beautiful, expensive looking wood that composed the flooring and paneling in the entryway area. A long narrow marble table stood along the center of the right wall, a large gilded mirror hanging above it and a massive vase full of fresh flowers on top.

The lady closed the door behind her before turning with expectant eyes toward Carlisle and I. Carlisle smiled. "Mrs. Clearwater, this is the new lady of the house, Bella Cullen. Bella, this is Sue Clearwater. She has been working for Edward for the past three years. They are very fond of one another."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Clearwater," I said as I stepped closer.

Mrs. Clearwater smiled at me brightly as I reached out to shake her hand. She grabbed it, tugging me in for a hug, which led the entire room to chuckle. "Please dear, call me Sue…everyone else does. I am so pleased to meet the woman who finally captured our Edward's heart. I always knew it would take someone very special to finally tie him down. I'm pleased to know that she's also beautiful and intelligent. I'm looking forward to seeing you put the Volturi brothers in their place."

She squeezed me before letting go and moving to wrap her arm around Marcus. "Present company excluded, of course. You are the only Volturi ever allowed behind this door if I have any say in the matter."

Everyone laughed before Sue led us on a quick tour of the main floor before guiding us up the stairs. Every room fascinated me to no end. I couldn't help but feel strange, like a trespasser snooping through someone else's things. What made it even more strange was that the owner of this house was no stranger at all…he was my husband…and by that right, these strange things were now mine as well. It was certainly an extremely and inexplicably foreign experience.

Sue led me to a beautifully carved wooden door at the end of the hall on the second floor. She directed everyone else to head on to the third floor, asking Esme if she would be so kind as to help the other guests locate their guest quarters. When they were out of sight, she turned to me with a bright smile, opening the door with a flourish and gesturing for me to enter.

I gasped as I walked into the large room with a rounded outcropping in the furthest right hand corner. Even though he hadn't been here in months, the aroma of my husband surrounded me, making my heart pound and bringing tears to my eyes. I walked slowly into the room, brushing my fingers lightly across the top of the shiny cherry wood furniture that matched the massive four poster bed along the right wall. Past the bed, nestled beautifully in the rounded outcropping that had to be this floor's portion of the turret, was a shining black grand piano, positioned so the player could look out on the sparkling lake beyond.

I slowly worked my way back toward where Sue stood smiling sadly at me. I walked to the tall dresser nestled between two doorways, which I assumed led to a closet and either a restroom or was another doorway to the hall beyond. I smiled as my hands graced over the picture frames propped on the smooth surface. I recognized most of the faces smiling back, a young Edward and a young Marcus wearing school sweater vests, a young Carlisle and Esme standing with their handsome young son who looked not more than ten if that, and so on. The pictures all made me smile and sigh. I wished he was there with me, but having his treasured things close by made me feel closer to him somehow.

Sue showed me the walk-in closet to the right of the dresser, lines of perfectly pressed dress shirts, jackets, and pants lined the cedar bar, hanging from fancy hangers. Pairs of perfectly shined dress shoes along with sweaters and casual clothing lined the shelves above with racks of ties and belts hanging in color coordinated bundles from the thick wooden beams that held everything in place. She proudly pointed out that the other side of the closet, now devoid of all clothing was anxiously awaiting the addition of my belongings to the space.

Next, she led me to the second door that concealed a beautiful bathroom that gleamed in white and black. It looked too perfect to use. Sue soon disappeared in the closet, assumedly to hang my clothes for me as I moved back to pick up a picture from the top of the dresser and sit atop Edward's bed, laying back onto his comforter with a sigh. I rolled onto my side, propping the picture frame next to me and drifted off for a short nap while staring at my Edward's happily smiling face.

When I awoke, the sun had drifted down so that it only splayed an orange tone across the water beyond the window of the rounded alcove. I groaned as I stretched my back and arms before smiling back down to the picture I had fallen asleep staring at. I got up carefully, replacing the frame on the dresser top before making use of the private bathroom before setting out to find the rest of my friends and family. I wandered along the second floor, opening the occasional mysterious door that Sue had not told me the contents of before finally drifting carefully down the stairs to the first floor. There I found everyone seated in the living area, sipping on cups of tea and coffee as they shared stories with a giggling Sue.

I settled in, taking the plate of supper offered to me and listened happily, as Sue shared story after story about my Edward. It was obvious that she truly did care for him. It made me happy that even if his mother didn't live nearby, that he had a maternal like figure to watch after him these years that he's lived here on his own.

We visited for a couple of hours before we all made our way to bed, knowing we had an early beginning that would turn into a long draining day. I felt the activity level of the butterflies in my stomach increase exponentially with every passing minute. By morning I was going to be a mess for sure.

I pulled back the extremely fluffy black and gold comforter under which deliciously soft sheets were hidden. I slid between the top and bottom sheets, closing my eyes and humming contentedly at the sensation, knowing that my Edward had spent many nights in this bed before his departure. I could only hope that he would return to me soon and sleep in it once more with me curled into his side.

I finally drifted off to sleep with thoughts of lying at his side, only to dream all night of him roaming the gray metal walls of a ship before finally sliding into the slender shelf of his bunk just before I woke for the day. I awoke in surprise, having never dreamed so vividly of Edward's time at sea. I only had his letters to describe the conditions, but beyond that I had never seen pictures or toured the bowels of the ship myself and yet I sincerely felt as if I were there, walking next to him through the narrow hallways, the hollow echo of our shoes ringing all around us.

I washed my face vigorously before stepping into the shower. I stepped out, taking my time to dry and prepare myself for the day ahead. I twined my hair upon my head in a high twist, the most professional hairstyle in my arsenal before putting on a light layer of make-up. I slid into my undergarments, being extra careful with my nylons since rumors had already begun to spread that they would be rationed soon for supplying the troops with nylon cords for parachutes and such. Once my undergarments were in place, I walked into the closet to retrieve the suit that I had chosen for the meeting today, smiling when I noticed it was already pressed and ready for me.

"God Bless Sue Clearwater," was all I could say in that moment as I slid carefully into the black knee-length pencil skirt, white collared shirt, and matching black women's suit jacket. I turned in front of the mirror before nodding at myself in agreement that, at least as far as the exterior went, I was set. I slid into the pair sensible black dress shoes with the squared heels before exiting my room to join the others on the first floor.

Everyone smiled approvingly as I entered, insisting that I partake of some of the breakfast assortment Sue had prepared for us. I picked up a scone from the tray on the table and a glass of milk, only taking a few small bites before sitting it down. My stomach had been easily soured lately, but this morning it seemed far worse than usual. Nerves, no doubt, were the culprit.

I noticed everyone kept eyeing me cautiously as I pretended to nibble on the pastry on the plate before me. They all knew that I was not feeling very prepared for the task ahead of me. I've never been a confrontational person, but in a few short hours, I was going to have to lead the most confrontational meeting of my life with poise and confidence. Unfortunately, my confidence was already wavering dangerously, and I knew my poise was only moments behind it, and everyone around me could see it.

Finally, it was Esme who stood, walking toward me and placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You can do this, sweetheart. This isn't just about you; it's about your husband, your child, your friends, and your entire country. Let the protective instincts come out and take over. All women have a mother bear inside them, hibernating until the time they are needed to rise up and defend those that they love. Tap into that instinct and let it come across in that room. I know you can do it, Bella. You are a strong, intelligent woman. You were brave enough to leave the only life you had ever known in search of something greater and were surviving in New York. If you can do that, then you can face anything. Marcus will be by your side the whole time, and the rest of us will be waiting just outside the door for you to call us in. We are all here for you, sweetheart, but you have to stand tall and put an end to the corruption."

I sighed with a nod, licking my lower lip, and straightening my back and shoulders. I had to do this. It was my duty as a wife, a mother, a friend, and a citizen of this country. I wasn't Bella Swan anymore. I was Bella Cullen, and I needed to go in that room remembering to leave the shy insecure girl from Kansas in this house and walk into the building like I owned this place, which I now more or less did.

Final preparations were made and items needed were organized before our group walked out to get into the two waiting cars at the end of the block. I took a deep breath as I slid into the car, Alice taking my hand on one side as Marcus took the other. I could almost feel them willing me the strength to continue on as we drove through the city toward our destination on Michigan Avenue.

I gasped as we pulled in front of the beautiful building at 310 S Michigan Avenue. It was built in the early twenties by an insurance mogul named Strauss, for which the building still had its name. For all of a few months, it had been the tallest building in Chicago until the Chicago Temple Building was completed later that same year. It was a site to behold as it faced Michigan Avenue and Grant Park.

Edward's Grandfather jumped at the opportunity to buy the building when it came up for sale during the Great Depression when the insurance company fell victim to the times. He moved the headquarters for the business front of Cullen Steel into the top quarter of the building, leasing out the lower levels to struggling companies that needed a break during those hard times when so many were forced into shutting their doors. His assistance allowed them to barely stay afloat long enough to survive, many now prospering under the wartime needs within the world around us.

Marcus exited the car first, walking around to open the door for Alice and me. I took one last deep steadying breath and straightened my posture as I stood from the car, brushing my skirt flat upon my legs. I heard the car carrying Carlisle, Esme, and Rose pull up as we walked through the doors of the main lobby.

I kept my chin held high and my posture confident as we strode through the lobby toward the elevators that would lead us to the executive levels at the very top of the building. Once the doors closed, leaving the three of us alone in the cabin, I gasped for breath, leaning against the wall as the arrow slowly slid up in an arc past the numbers indicating each floor we passed on our way to our destination.

Marcus and Alice did their best to encourage me, finally getting me to stand erect again as we neared our floor. I closed my eyes, watching as Edward flashed behind my eyes, as well as Jasper, Emmett, pimple faced Eric Yorkie, and every other man I knew that was serving right now in the defense of our great nation. I had to do this for all of them, but most of all my Edward. When I opened my eyes, I was no longer Bella Swan from Kansas. I was most definitely, completely, and totally Bella Cullen, wife of Edward and current majority shareholder of this building and all that was within and I was going to clean house.

Alice gasped as she watched me. I glanced at her with a determined nod as a smile slowly spread across her face. Just as the bell dinged indicating we had reached our destination I turned to Marcus. "Let's do this, partner."

Marcus smiled triumphantly as the doors opened and we stepped out into an ornate entryway where a beautiful blonde secretary greeted us with a tight smile.

"Marcus, we were not expecting you. The meeting is just about to begin in the conference room at the end of the hall. Your guests will have to wait in the waiting area."

Marcus sneered at the girl behind the desk. "No, Heidi, these ladies have official business in that room and will be going in with me. If you have a problem with that then by all means call security, but I can guarantee you that in the course of about ten minutes it will prove to be a totally wasted effort."

She huffed before finally nodding begrudgingly. Marcus gestured toward the hallway to the right leading me with a hand on the small of my back as Alice followed closely behind. "My cousin, Heidi. Trust me, when we clean house, she will be amongst the ones to face demotion."

I nodded with a snort, clutching the briefcase with all the documentation I needed tightly in my right fist. All too soon, we reached the large ornately carved double doors that obviously led to the boardroom beyond. Marcus turned to me with one last look. I took a deep breath, straightened my spine, and schooled my expression before nodding. Marcus pushed the door open, allowing Alice and I to enter before walking ahead of me to the empty seat at the far end of the table.

The air in the room was stifling as I was immediately hit by a wall of pipe and cigar smoke. The room full of stuffy looking men, most of them balding, wearing black suits with vests underneath who watched us curiously as we crossed the room. The man at the other end that appeared to be the head of the table sneered at us, making the butterflies in my stomach lurch into a buzzing swarm, but I kept all reactions locked away from the surface as I smoothly floated across the room behind Marcus.

The man at the head of the table with the black hair, slicked straight back with the obvious assistance of some sort of pomade, stood up, leaning against the table with his hands.

"Marcus, I am surprised you have enough leeway in your budget to afford to travel for this meeting, much less bring half of your office staff. We must be frugal in these lean times and I do not see where your secretary and office clerk are needed to be here with you. I think we need to look at further cinching the loose fat in your funding, my son."

As we reached the seat at the end of the table, Marcus pulled it out for me, gesturing for me to sit as I settled into it more gracefully than I had ever managed to maneuver in my entire life. This made Aro stop and cock his head in confusion as a sinister smile spread across his face.

"Handing over the reins of your offices to woman are you, son? I should have known you wouldn't be able to handle such a big responsibility on your own. Why Edward ever thought you would be a prudent replacement for him is quite beyond my comprehension. Now get out of his seat, little girl. This table is for shareholders only."

I smiled at him, watching with pleasure as his eyes narrowed into tiny slits. The rest of the room remained deathly silent, the only sound being the tick of the clock behind Aro on the wall and Marcus's voice as he introduced me to the room.

"Actually, father, my companion here has ever right to sit at this table. More right than most of the men here. I would like to introduce you to Mrs. Isabella Cullen, wife of Edward Cullen."

In a single moment, every eye at the table bulged within their sockets, as more than a dozen mouths seemed to unhinge in unison. It would have been humorous if it weren't for what I had to do next. I looked around the room, making eye contact with each man before finally resting my gaze on Aro.

I slid the briefcase closer to me atop the table and opened the tabs, opening the top before reaching inside to extract the papers I was about to present to the board. I looked up at Aro with a smile which I'm certain came off as vicious as it felt.

"Hello, Mr. Volturi. It's so _nice_ to see you again. I'm very grateful that this time I am no longer simply someone you believe is nothing more than an employee in this company. Speaking of which, the treatment of our employees is about to change quite drastically."

I turned with a less sinister smile to address the rest of the men at the table as Aro slowly lowered himself into his chair, eyes open wide and hands still splayed flat across the table top.

"Gentlemen of the board, please allow me to make a formal introduction. I am Isabella Cullen, wife of your true CEO and mother to his unborn child. Before he left for war, he set into place paperwork to make me his power of attorney and legal proxy in the event that something arose in his absence that could not wait for his return. Unfortunately, gentlemen, this day has arrived far more quickly than any of us ever wanted."

I held up the papers in my hands. "These forms have been filed in triplicate in both New York State where they were instituted, as well as Illinois where I am now the legal and binding majority shareholder of this company. Thus being so, nothing, and I mean nothing, will pass through this boardroom without my express approval."

I handed the papers to a man on my right, a second set to a man of my left to allow them to be passed around the table for verification to continue. "My dear Edward told me much about this company, how it is meant to be run, and who I can and cannot trust in this room. Now, as his legal proxy, I am setting things back to the way they used to be. My first order of business...setting the directorship back into the capable hands that my husband left them in to begin with. My first motion is that Marcus Volturi be placed back into the position he was given upon Mr. Cullen's departure. All opposed with the exception of the Volutri brothers?"

The room was silent, mouths slowly closing around us one by one as they took in the validity of my claim. I smiled, settling back in my chair a bit. "All in favor?"

A chorus of "Aye" ran round the table as Aro growled, standing up in his place and gripping his hands into fists so tight that his knuckles had blanched white.

"This is an outrage! You have no right to come in here, a simple woman who is nothing more than a secretary and dictate how this business is to be run. You know nothing."

I stood slowly, bracing my hands on the table before me. "Actually, Mr. Volturi, I have a bachelor's degree in business as well as having served as an administrative assistant in the offices of Hannity and Associates law firm in New York City for the past two years. Not only do I know exactly what I am doing, I also am fully aware of my absolute legal right to do so."

I smiled at Marcus, nodding toward the head of the table for him to begin making his way to his rightful seat as I reached into my briefcase pulling out the correspondence we had received from Marcus's friend in the government.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Volturi, there are some other legal matters we need to discuss, after you vacate the chair you are wrongfully filling so we may continue this meeting in a proper manner."

He sat back in the chair crossing his arms like a child throwing a tantrum, which only served to make me chuckle in response and shake my head. "Mr. Volturi, I own 59 percent of this company now. It is not outside of my legal rights to call security and have you removed from the room. You are a minor shareholder who is obstructing the routine conducting of business. Now you will remove yourself from Marcus's chair, or I will have you removed."

My face was a stone hard, cold mask. I could feel the sincerity in my eyes pushing waves of cold into the room. In this moment, I was a different woman entirely. I only hoped I could keep the role going until our business was complete.

Aro's face twitched as he slowly rose from his chair, motioning for his brother to rise from his spot to his right. To my surprise, Caius stood quietly and stepped back to lean against the wall. His eyes shot daggers at me, but he made no open acts of aggression toward me.

Marcus took the chair, settling in and folding his hands before him on the desk with a bright smile in my direction before nodding to me to continue.

"Gentlemen, there is one reason and one reason alone that this action was taken. If you were aware of the following taking place then you should all pray sincerely for your welfare, and if you did not then I fear what I'm about to share will be quite shocking to you. As you know, the government has been scouring the country for scrap metal to be used in the war effort to provide more steel for all forms of weaponry and machinery from vehicles, to weapons, to artillery. Cullen Steel has received ample portions of these scrap goods. They have been funneled through our system and yet the company has not been utilizing the goods in quite the way they were intended. Not only are the same charges still being processed to the government in spite of the fact that a portion of the metal was donated by the public at large, but Mr. Volturi had adjusted the refining process to produce steel with higher carbon levels with makes them weaker and less safe for our men serving for our freedom. He has then been taking the money that has been saved through his lowering the quality of our workmanship and the free metal we have been receiving to supplement our stores for production and funneling it into the shareholder and executive's pockets in the forms of bonuses and share dividends. Not only is this morally wrong, but it is entirely illegal."

A collective gasp filled the room as the overweight men, wearing suits that cost more than most of my neighbors in Chinatown made in a year or more, began to blot at their faces with fancy handkerchiefs, their faces crimson and eyes filled with fear. More than one was entirely aware of what was going on. I nodded to Alice who smiled and walked to the doorway, allowing Esme, Carlisle, and Rose to enter.

"This, my dear members of the board, is a travesty and one that I will not allow to continue. I will allow the particulars of how we shall proceed to be outlined for you by Marcus in a few short minutes, but before we do so, I want to introduce you to my advisory team. You may want to take note that it is mostly comprised of women." I glanced pointedly at Aro when I said this.

I introduced them to the board one by one, telling them to get accustomed to seeing their faces around because they were my brain trust, and in many ways should be considered to be the equivalent of dealing with me personally. Many where quite shocked to discover that Alice was a genius when it came to numbers and was the one to discover exactly what was taking place. They were even more surprised to learn that the voluptuous beauty who looked like she belonged on the cover of a magazine was in fact a brilliant engineer who could tell them exactly what needed to be done and the sooner the better to return Cullen Steel to the level that it had always strived toward. Esme and Carlisle were not new faces, but the room had still been intrigued and showed a greater respect toward me when they realized that the entire Cullen family was behind me. Even if they didn't have actual voting capabilities within the organization, the Cullen name alone held great weight with these men.

"There will be some legal ramifications for this situation, which I will leave in Marcus's capable hands to broach and deal with, but before I finally pass on the mantel today, I have one last thing to say. I find what has been done in my husband's absence deplorable. I have to ask you gentlemen by a show of hands, how many of you have close relatives serving currently in this war?" Half of the hands around the table rose. I nodded

"How many of you have friends with close relatives serving?" All of the men at the table except Caius and Aro raised their hands, but even they were lying. I knew this for a fact.

I shook my head, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. "How then, can you ever allow something like this to happen? Is having a few extra dollars lining your bank account really more important than those men? Than YOUR freedom? Because I can tell you right now gentlemen, if your desire to line your pocketbooks ended up leading to the allies losing the war, you can bet Adolf Hitler would not allow you to keep your little capitalist stronghold. You would lose everything and probably be put to death for supporting the war effort to begin with. It is for that reason and that reason alone, that I have stepped forward to lay claim to the portion of this company that belongs to my husband and to put it back in the honorable hands that it was left in."

I took a deep breath, collecting myself before lowering my bottom back into the massive leather chair with the thick, comfortable padding. This was the first time I had even noticed how pleasant the chairs really were. With a smile, I folded my hands before nodding to Marcus.

"Now that I have said my piece, I am officially turning over this meeting to our true Interim CEO, Marcus Volturi."

I keep my posture and my mask on, but inside I was melting in relief. My part of this coup was over, now it was up to Marcus to wrap this all up in a nice neat bow. I felt myself vibrating in justification as Marcus pulled out the letters from his friend with the government. It was like watching a blockbuster movie plot unfold as he slowly divulged his source and how the company as a whole was not being implicated in the corrupt actions that had taken place in his absence, but rather the individuals in charge were of focus, Caius and Aro in particular.

Upon that note, he sat with pride in his chair as he brought forth article fourteen of Cullen Steel's corporation bylaws. This article stated that any stockholders under investigation for criminal fraud or corrupt handling of funds would be excluded from all business meetings, and their votes would be exempt until such a time as the charges were either overturned or ruled at fault.

Aro and Caius were both screaming and yelling in Marcus's face as he laid out the final blow that successfully removed them from all decision making power within the company for the foreseeable future. Considering the bogged state of the government system focused on war, odds are the war would be over and done with before any real action was taken. By that time, the true head of the company would be home and their attempt at a takeover would be permanently thwarted.

I looked over at Carlisle with a nod. He smirked, stepping through the door and returning moments later with the guards I had him request to be on standby. Caius and Aro screamed and thrashed the whole way as the four men led them out, with threats of police action if they did not cooperate.

The rest of the meeting went smoothly as Marcus immediately began the process of cleaning up the mess his father had wrought. He assigned Rose a position with the engineering staff, overseeing the restoration of the refining process and even suggesting that we improve it if possible. Alice was given a Vice Presidency within the accounting department, which made me quite pleased. After the business was completed, Marcus dismissed the meeting a full three hours after it had convened with my own personal overthrow of power.

The board members quietly made their way toward me after Marcus officially dismissed them to shake my hand politely. Some seemed genuinely pleased to meet me, a bit of relief tinged with humor sparkling behind their eyes. Others eyed me as though I were a bug or a slimy creature of some sort, after which they would need to take a bath in straight lye to remove the contamination.

When the room finally cleared save Marcus and my friends and in-laws, I melted in my chair, my body trembling like leaf.

"Oh my God! You were amazing, Bella! You did it!" Alice squealed as she jumped with her arms around my neck.

Meanwhile, I felt the tears from the relief of the stress pooling in my eyes. When Alice released me I wiped at them furiously as everyone else congratulated me, Esme rubbing my back comfortingly the whole time.

"I still can't believe I pulled it off," I said as I rested my head in my hands.

Carlisle ran his hand down my hair to massage the column of my neck gently as he smiled down at me. "I can. You were destined to be a Cullen, Bella. You were meant to be here, to do this. I believe that now more than ever. I am so proud of you, sweetheart. Now let's dry those tears and get you looking presentable to walk out of the building and then we'll take you home and feed you some lunch and get you laid down to rest. It's been a stressful day and I'm sure you and the baby could both use a break."

I smiled and nodded with a sigh as I wiped my face and straightened my clothes. Alice and Rose helped me compose myself while Marcus explained he would be in the office the rest of the day getting things going. He told Rose and Alice to come back the next morning. Nobody discussed it, but we all knew that every single one of us was going to be moving to Chicago in the next few weeks. It was the only way to make sure everything kept going according to plan.

I couldn't help but feel a bit giddy at the expressions on everyone's faces as we walked the corridors to the elevator as a group of six. Marcus escorted us with a smile before bidding us adieu at the elevator doors and continuing down the hall in the opposite direction as the doors opened and we walked in. As I walked out of the doors, a tidal wave of relief washed over me that it was done.

I smiled, tipping my face to enjoy the rays of the sun sitting directly overhead in the noonday sky. Feeling peace for the first time in several weeks, the only thing that could have made it perfect was Edward. I opened my eyes to climb into the car waiting to take us back to Edward's, my heart shuddering in my chest when my gaze locked with the vicious scowl of Aro Volturi. I was pretty sure that what happened in that board room this morning was not going to stop him for long. I may have saved the company and the lives of our men fighting on the other end of the world, but I had also gained an enemy as well. I had a sneaking suspicion that his bite was probably just as bad as his bark.

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**Thanks for reading! Below is a link to my photobucket album with a picture of Edward's home in Chicago. This is a real house and that is the real address. It was built in the 1890's and is one of six homes on Lake Shore Drive that were added to the list of historical preservation sites.**

**This building in the album was completed in 1924, known at the time as The Strauss Building. The history mentioned in the chapter is true, except that of course, Cullen Steel did not buy it. It is now an extremely expensive apartment building in Chicago known as The Metropolitan Tower.**

**http:// photobucket .com /WallflowerNFlyboy  
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	14. Transitions

**Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**Author's Note: Last week I posted SF, early, so this week I will post Flyboy early just to be fair. Nothing really huge happens in this chapter. It is more or less a transitional to the next chapter which is probably the most stressful yet. So enjoy the calm before the storm. Thanks as always to AgoodWITCH for her beta work. She's awesome. **_

_**Next update will be either late Tuesday night/ Wednesday. In the meantime, a teaser will be up on my blog acullenwannabe. blogspot .com**_

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**Transitions**

The month that followed was rocky for everyone. In addition to learning the ropes at a new job and trying to straighten out the mess that the Volturi brothers created with the company, Rose, Alice, and I were having to learn how to navigate a whole new city. It wasn't as thought it were harder to get around, but it was all just so new and overwhelming.

I made a trip back East with Esme and Marcus's brother Alec, whom he trusted entirely to take care of making the arrangements for the move to Chicago. I felt incredibly guilty about having bought the brownstone and furnished it, only to have to abandon it so soon afterward. Esme simply smiled shaking her head.

"Bella, I told you when we bought it that it would be excellent for an executive housing for guests, or even Marcus's replacement could live here. Since you won't need most of your furniture in Chicago with Edward's house fully furnished, we can leave much of it for our guests. Anything you feel an affinity for we'll send that way, and everything else can stay."

I sighed, nodding forlornly. I really did love my apartment on the bottom floor of the brownstone. I was going to miss my little touches that made it feel like home. We packed all of my personal belongings, as well as Rose and Alice's, making a point of taking all of their furnishings since they would need it when they eventually got a place of their own. In the meantime, we would look into putting it into some sort of storage until they were ready. Edward had a massive basement that would serve quite nicely, or as Esme suggested, there was quite a bit of storage space in the basement of the Strauss building dedicated to our company.

Within the course of four days, we had packed up everything and were directing the movers that had been hired to load everything, and deliver it to the train that would ship it to Chicago where another set of movers would be directed under the watchful eye of Alice to unload and deliver it to whatever locations they had decided. As we watched them move the last of Alice and Rose's furniture out, I stood staring at my stereo. Edward had a very nice one at his house, but I had really grown to love the one I picked out, but I felt it was selfish to have more than one.

Esme chuckled, coming next to me and wrapping an arm around my waist. "This was the first expensive thing you ever picked out for yourself isn't it?"

I nodded reluctantly nibbling on my lower lip.

"There's no sin in keeping it Bella. It means something to you. It helped you get through those first few months with your husband away at war. It's so much more than an expensive piece of equipment. Keep it and share those memories with Edward, sweetheart. I know he would want you to."

With a sigh, I finally nodded, settling onto the couch to rest my feet as Esme walked out to inform the movers that we had one more thing to go out. I kicked off my shoes and propped my feet on top of the coffee table. I had started to notice lately that my ankles were prone to swelling more often if I was on my feet too long. I was beginning to worry if it was normal to have this happen so early in pregnancy. I wasn't happy about having to change doctors after having found such a good one in New York, but Esme assured me we would find an equally qualified one in Chicago, whom we would provide with my complete medical records on my first visit.

We only had two more days before we would be returning to Chicago to begin settling in there. First we had to wait for Marcus's replacement, Eleazar, to come to town and introduce him to his highly depleted staff that we would need to call back or hire anew to fill the holes. I was excited to meet him since I knew he had been Edward's first choice. Any man Edward trusted was someone I definitely wanted to get to know better.

While Esme and I had been working to settle thing in New York, Carlisle had gone back west to Washington where he submitted his resignation at the hospital promising to work for a few more weeks until the hospital could find someone to replace him. Meanwhile, he was also working to arrange to have the majority of their things packed to be shipped to Chicago when he was done with the hospital where, with any luck, Esme would have already procured them a new residence.

In the meantime, Marcus, Alice, and Rose had all been working hard at Cullen Steel. Esme and I called in daily to keep updated on what was happening in our absence. First order of business, after a halt production order was sent to all of the mills, Marcus began cleaning house. Nearly one quarter of the support staff had to be demoted or let go, making the trio of overburdened execs work double time to find replacements. Thankfully, one benefit of the hard times was that finding qualified workers eager to get to work was not difficult.

By the time we were preparing to return, the Chicago staff was back to full compliment, all the positions once again filled, and Rosalie, along with the rest of the metallurgical engineering department, had worked out a new process to create even higher quality product than was going out before the Volturi brothers' scheme. It was going to take a few days to implement, but once they did, the boys fighting abroad would be far more protected than the last incarnation of materials would have made them.

Alice had her hands full between crunching numbers to balance out the new expenditures for the new process, plus the added expenses of the new staff and severance pay they ended up paying those that they let go. On top of that, she had to oversee the safe delivery of our things and made sure that my clothes and most of my belongings were situated before I arrived home so that I wouldn't overdo it trying to do it all herself. Thankfully, Sue was a wonderful help and a great asset to everyone.

Esme and I had a great time greeting Eleazar when he arrived. He really loved the brownstone and was excited at the prospect of living there instead of having to try to find his own place. He was very grateful for the furnishings, stating that his wife, Carmen, would like much of it as well. We visited and toured the Cullen offices together that first day and I found that I felt calm around the man almost immediately. I was sure that the girls would greatly enjoy working under such a calming influence.

By the time Esme and I finally boarded the train to go back to Chicago in the wee hours of Sunday morning, we were both completely exhausted. I smiled as I opened the envelope from Edward that had arrived the day before they left that Esme had forgotten to give to me until right before the train arrived. I hadn't gotten to read it yet, but I knew it had to have been written before he found out about the baby. I was really excited to read the first post news letter to hear some of the names that he might have picked out.

I smiled happily, as I read his words, folding the paper and tucking it safely within my purse before gazing out the window at the country passing in a green blur outside the window. I couldn't help but daydream about the baby inside me, and what kind of things Edward would say in his next letter. Esme and I were fed breakfast as the scenery changed slightly. As we ate lunch, we began to see water in distance from out the window on my side of the train car. As the green stretched on and on, eventually my eyelids grew heavy as I drifted off to sleep against the glass.

I was shocked to find myself being awakened by Esme as the servers came through to put dinner out for the patrons. I ate slowly, not really feeling like ingesting another rail meal. After the tray was taken away, I curled back up in my seat and resumed my Edward daydreams that slowly turned into full fledged dreams. My heart begged every night, just as my conscious mind did every day, that my husband would return to me as soon as possible and in full health. I could hear myself whimper as the train shuddered hard as it pulled into another station. I lifted my head to look around, noticing Esme sound asleep in the seat next to me. I glanced out the window to see the sign hanging from the station roof…Lake Michigan, Indiana. We were very close now and I couldn't wait to be back in the Lake Shore Drive house, surrounded by Edward's things once more.

I sighed, settling into my seat to drift off again, knowing I was almost home, to the place where my husband would join me as soon as he possibly could.

It was still dark when the train pulled into Union Station. A groggy Esme stumbled beside me from the train, dragging our luggage blearily behind us. We both sighed in relief when we discovered that Alice was waiting for us in Edward's car. I sighed as I slid in the back seat, missing our beautiful red car. It was a frivolous thing to have in the city to begin with, then if you added the rations for rubber and gas, and the cost for shipping, all three of us reluctantly agreed to sell our beauty in New York, but we would all greatly miss her.

I feared Rose would be hurt the worst, but instead, I could almost hear the smile in Rose's voice as she chimed something about giving her a chance to build a new one from the ground up with Emmett once he returned home. They were definitely a pair made in heaven. I couldn't wait to see them together, as well as Alice and Jasper. I wondered what their boys thought of all of the insanity happening back home.

We pulled up to the house and I sighed as I walked through the front door, pleased to once again be surrounded by all things Edward, making me feel just the slightest bit like the was there with me. Neither of us looked at much of anything as we stumbled up the stairs to our rooms where we immediately collapsed on the bed to get some restful sleep before getting up again to greet the day later on.

When I finally awoke again, after a long, deep, dreamless sleep, I found the bedroom around me to be very bright. The aroma of the delicious smelling meal Sue was cooking down below made my stomach grumble loudly, desiring a real meal as opposed to the disgusting meals that were served on the train ride the night before.

I got up awkwardly, feeling stiff from my overnight train ride and subsequent loss of consciousness. I stretched in all directions as I walked to the restroom to wash up before going downstairs. After washing my face and taking care of my hygiene needs, I slid into a pair of comfortable cotton trousers and a light weight top. I twisted my hair into a quick spiral atop my head before going down to check in with Sue.

She smiled at me brightly as I entered the kitchen. "Hungry, dear?"

My stomach roared loudly on cue making us both laugh as I clasped my hand over it. "That would be an understatement. This smells wonderful."

Sue smiled. "It will only be a few more minutes before it's done. In the meantime, did you see the letter from Edward waiting for you in the foyer when you got in?"

I jumped up with wide eyes. "No! When did it come?"

Sue smiled knowingly. "It came in the mail yesterday with a London postmark. It's on the credenza in the foyer."

Before she could say a word more I was up and running to the foyer. I spotted the envelope right away, my hunger forgotten as I opened it quickly while making my way to sit in the wingback chair in the living room. I pulled the pages from the envelope with a smile as I read the date at the top.

**June 2, 1943**

**My dearest wonderful Bella,**

**I can't sleep, so I decided to give up and get back out of bed to write you. Hearing your voice yesterday and again today has been the best gift I could ever hope to receive while so far away. I never dreamed I would have the opportunity and despite my upset at the condition of the company, I can't help but be grateful the chance it gave the both of us. **

**I am so excited, love. There are absolutely no words in existence to express how happy I am. It makes me sad to think of all of the things I will miss. I so want to see you round with my child, to feel he or she move within the warm sanctuary of your womb. I want to take care of you and make sure you are eating and sleeping well, to rub your back and feet when late pregnancy makes them sore with additional strain. It pains me to know that I will most likely miss all of that, but I hope that knowing that I want to be there for them helps you some as you have to endure it without me. Please do your best to at least take photographs, so I can see. **

**With any luck, I will make it home in time for the birth, but the likelihood seems scarce considering the climate of things over here of which I cannot discuss. I will say that the point of view of the men here is far less optimistic as that of those on our ship. We are isolated, only knowing of our own successes and failures, while they are aware of the greater war effort. Something big will have to happen to turn the tide in this war. I hope it happens soon, but it will take a great deal of planning and preparation, probably more than you have left of your term. Just know that I am always with you. Not a moment passes that you aren't in my heart and on my mind.**

**Now, I want you to promise me that you will spare no expense in preparing for the baby's arrival. I'm sure my mother will happily assist you with this, but I just wanted to say it anyway. I've already started thinking of names tonight. There's a couple that keep coming to mind as I try to picture our baby. **

**One was the suggestion of the gentleman who has been helping me steal time to call you in the offices. He's actually a displaced French officer who speaks German fluently. He's been working with the code breakers to sort out intel they keep intercepting. Anyway, he was very excited for us and kept talking about our "petite Cherie" (pronounced Share ree) which basically means little darling or little loved one. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed almost perfect. What do you think? Cherie Cullen…I think I like it.**

**The boy name has been a little more difficult, but then I started thinking of some of our friends who have been shot down in battle. It sort of seemed fitting in a way, to honor a man who fought at my side and gave his life for my child's freedom. I'm not sure how many of them would fit, but I'll share the list with you and maybe something will strike you as one you like. The ones that I was closest to were Declan, Travis, Daniel, Marshall, and Jeremiah. I look forward to your opinion.**

**My mind keeps wandering to all of this mess with the company. I really wish you weren't burdened with it. I'm so proud of you for stepping up to take care of things, though. I hope that the board meeting goes smoothly. I know you will be stunning, intelligent, and knock them all on their stuffy keisters. I wish I could be there to see it, but then again, if I were then your bravery wouldn't be needed. Just know you are in my thoughts and prayers and I have every faith in you. I love you so much my beautiful wife. I don't know what I ever did to deserve you, but I will be forever grateful.**

**The sun is rising on the horizon and the base is starting to come to life. I am off to try to make one more call to you before I have to leave. I know I keep repeating myself, but the repetition of the words doesn't make it any less true. I love you so very much, my sweetheart. I will be back in your arms as soon as the rest of the world will allow it. Be safe and take care of yourself. I will love you till the end of time.**

**Always yours,**

**Edward**

I was in tears, reading the letter for the third time when Sue came in to check on me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder.

"That good or that bad?" she asked as she smoothed a hand over my hair.

I sighed, "That good and that bad. I worry so much for him, Sue, and yet, all he seems focused on is what's happening with me. I'm safe on American soil surrounded by my friends and family and I'm the one he's worried about. It makes no sense in so many ways, and yet I understand. I just miss him so much."

Sue soothed me as she took the letter, folding it neatly and placing it back within the envelope before handing it to me. "I know, sweetheart, but I also know our Edward. He's going to move heaven and earth to get back to the both of you. All you can do for now is take care of his two most treasured loves. Now come along and eat your lunch before it gets cold."

I swiped at my eyes with my empty hand and as I allowed Sue to lead me by the shoulders into the kitchen, sitting me down at the small breakfast nook in the corner. I carefully placed the letter aside out of harm's way before picking up my fork and taking a bite of the deliciously flavorful casserole in front of me. I hummed happily, asking Sue to eat with me.

She smiled, dishing herself a plate and sitting across from me. We ate in silence a few minutes before I looked up at Sue mid bite. "Hey, Sue, what do you think of the name Cherie Cullen?"

Sue smiled with a wink before taking a long drink of her juice. I smiled back with a sigh, running a lazy finger over the edges of the letter sitting next to me on the top of the beautiful wood grain table top.


	15. Unpleasant Surprises

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognizable Characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**Author's Note: First of all, I want to send a big thanks to my beta AgoodWITCH. She's so busy with work and her own fics, but she still takes time to beta these for us all.**_

_**I'm warning you now, this is an intense chapter…so be prepared. On the plus side, I was nice and didn't leave you hanging too terribly badly. You'll see when you get there…just be prepared :) Sneak Peek will be posted on my blog later tonight, acullenwannabe dot blogspot dot com I've really enjoyed putting that together and being able to post the teasers to keep it regularly updated. Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to check it out. In the meantime, you'll see the next update either late Sunday or Monday :)**_

**_It has already been pointed out that I used the name James before. This is a different James. Honestly, most guys I know named James tend to be jerky, so I find myself writing them as Jerks, but then when I got to this point in the story, my mind instantly saw Cam Gigandet's James, and thus this is the predatory James of the books and movie. Does that make sense. I normally attempt not to use names more than once, but I couldn't resist this time around!!!!_**

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**Unpleasant Surprises**

Things went rather smoothly after we returned from New York. After much debate, the girls agreed to live with me for the time being, after I suggested that it was a waste for them to have to pay rent when I had that massive house all to myself. Beyond that, I was used to having them around. It would have been very lonely to tool around that massive house with nobody but Sue to keep me company during her working hours. She wasn't a live in, so every night at six o'clock she left after checking in with me and went home to her husband Harry and two teenage children.

It was only when I mentioned that I was scared to face taking care of the baby alone after it was born, and that it would be more prudent to wait until their fiancé's came home to find a place that would suit them as a couple, that they finally relented. I was so relieved I practically did a happy dance.

Meanwhile, Carlisle closed up their home in Washington, choosing to hold onto it until the market got a bit better and moved cross country to live near us. Esme scoured the neighborhoods intent on finding a place with a yard. She hated living so far away from me, but at the same time, she kept saying that she was certain that the rationing was going to get worse before it got better. She was determined that she would have a house behind which she could grow a vegetable garden to feed her family, and in particular her growing grandchild within my womb.

After much searching, she found a small townhouse that wasn't unlike our brownstone in New York somewhere in the Lincoln Park area with a small back yard. Within a week of purchasing the place, she had managed to prepare the ground and plant, forcing poor Carlisle to live out of boxes until she was done. I tried and tried to get her allow me to help, but she wouldn't hear of it. She barely let the girls help, insisting that she felt it was her job and she really wanted to do it for herself as well as the rest of us.

She wasn't the only one treating me like glass though. I knew they had good reason, the doctor was very unhappy with my blood pressure levels, insisting I begin to step back and take it easy. Once the company was in Marcus's capable hands, that wasn't hard to do, but to be honest, I was going stir crazy. I just had to get out and do something, but every day that I went into the office, someone would send me back home before I could put in more than five hours. Marcus was the worst of them all, and it seemed he got ten times worse once my stomach began growing, creating an ever present reminder of my condition.

That's why I was home now. I had gone in that morning, feeling like a tent in my maternity dress that the girls had worked together to make for me a few days before. It was really cute with a sailor collar with a navy blue scarf that tied at the bottom of the v neck line. I was only six months along, but I certainly felt as though I should be at least eight. Everyone, including the doctor, said I was just the right size, but I felt like I was about to explode at the seams. On top of that, my ever present balance issues were ten times worse with my center of gravity shifted toward my navel.

I walked in that morning feeling chipper and excited to get out of the house for the day. We were one day away from the next board meeting and I wanted to go in fully apprised on what was going on, so I wouldn't run the risk of being caught off guard. I settled into the small office they had set aside for me next to Marcus. I sat down in the chair, feeling flustered that it, along with everything else in my life, felt as though they were shrinking around me. I shifted a few times to get comfortable before settling back and looking over the briefs Marcus's secretary, Kate, had prepared for me.

I wasn't there long when I heard a knock at my door. I looked up and smiled as Marcus came in, sitting across from me in the small seat with a sigh. "How you feeling, Mama Cullen? Little one being nice today?"

I laughed, rubbing my stomach gently. I was so shocked the first time I felt the baby move. It felt like a flutter…sort of like a butterfly was struggling against my stomach muscles. Within a few weeks the tiny flutter turned into pretty solid kicks. Edward had been so excited when I told him about the baby's movements and the changes in my body. I even started taking pictures to send him every month once my stomach started showing. He now had three snapshots that he claimed he would tuck into bottom of the bunk above him each night so that my face and the presence of our baby was the first thing he saw when his eyes opened each morning.

He called us his angels, and from that, after two months of confusing back and forth letters thanks to the delay for shipment, we finally settled on names. If it was a boy, he would be named Gabriel Garrett, after the angels I prayed were watching over him as he served his country, and his friend. It was about a month after I told him the good news that the letter came, admitting that Garrett had been shot down about a month before I had told him the news. He didn't want to upset me on the phone and it had made him feel ill to know that the same could happen to him. What finally made him break down and be honest with me was the strong desire to name our baby after his lost friend. I cried over the paper as I agreed wholeheartedly, and with that, we were decided on baby names…a boy would be Gabriel Garrett, and a girl would be Gabriella Cherie. They were both perfect names for a perfect combination of my Edward and me.

I chuckled when, at that moment, Baby G kicked my hand as though making sure I was aware he or she was listening. "Yeah, the baby's been quite calm this morning. We're both having a good day."

Marcus smiled with a nod before gesturing to the papers. "It's a nice day today, Bella. Probably one of the last we'll see this year. You shouldn't be cooped up in here all day. You should take those and go read in the park or something. Maybe you could go over and relax with Esme while she works out in the garden. It's probably your last chance at some fresh air for a few months."

I narrowed my eyes at him, shifting in my seat to lean in toward him. "I know you too well, Marcus Volturi. Why are you trying to get rid of me? What's going on?"

He sighed, rubbing at his temples. "It's nothing big, really. It's just that my father and uncle are coming in today with their lawyers, trying to fight the stipulation in the corporate guidelines that is keeping them from being part of the meeting tomorrow. I was hoping to keep you out of the crossfire. With your blood pressure issues and everything…I just didn't want him coming in here and making things worse."

I sighed, sitting back in the chair and rubbing at my own temples. It was a balancing act with this situation. On one hand, I needed to put the health of the baby first, but on the other, I couldn't let them run me off from my own company. That would just make me look weak, and I couldn't allow the Volturi brothers to think that.

I tapped my foot as I thought things over, finally deciding that the baby came first, but if they somehow got around the guidelines, I would not be avoiding the meeting the next day. I started collecting the folders with a sigh.

"Okay, Marcus. I will go for today, but they are not going to run me out of this building every time they feel the need to blow hot air. This company is important to Edward, which makes it important to me."

He sighed in relief as he got up to help me gather my things. "Thank you, Bella. I just don't want them to upset you knowing how high your blood pressure has been running already. They are certainly not worth Baby G's health. If anything is mentioned, I'll just say you had a doctor's appointment."

I nodded, as I watched him slide the folders into Edward's briefcase that I always carried with me to work. It always helped to have something of his with me. Marcus carried it for me as he led me to the elevators with a gentle hand at the small of my back. He pressed the button for me, turning with a small smile as he handed me the case.

"You have a safe afternoon, Bella. I'll call you this evening to let you know what happens."

I sighed. "Okay, Marcus. Thank you for keeping my needs in mind. You be careful and don't let them bully you."

He smiled as he rubbed at the nape of his neck. "I promise, Bella. You have a safe afternoon. I called for the car to drive you home. I didn't want to run the risk of them somehow catching you out on the street. James will take you wherever you need to go."

I nodded. "Thanks, Marcus. See you tomorrow morning."

I rode the elevator to the lobby, fidgeting with the briefcase in my hand. For some reason, I felt there was more to this meeting with the Volturis than Marcus was letting on. He was always trying to spare me the gory details. I was both touched and annoyed by it.

The driver, James, made me slightly uncomfortable. Not wanting to bother Esme, I asked to be taken home. I knew Sue would be there for me to chat with, and her husband and son were supposed to be coming over today to fix a leaky pipe under the kitchen sink. I originally didn't think I would be home in time to meet them, but this turn of events was going to allow me the pleasure.

I hesitantly thanked James as he pulled in front of the house, quickly rushing up the stairs, tripping slightly on the top one in my rush to get inside as the hairs stood on the back of my neck. I didn't know why James gave me the heeby jeebies, but he did.

I opened the door, shutting it behind me and locking it securely before walking further into the house, calling for Sue. She popped her head out of the kitchen door with a surprised smile on her face that quickly morphed into a huge grin.

"Bella! I didn't expect you home until later. I'm so glad you're here." She turned to the kitchen to call over her shoulder. "Harry! Seth! Wash your hands and come meet my little Bella!"

I giggled at Sue. I loved that Sue mothered me so. It was ironic that I would go the first twenty five years of my life having never had a loving mother figure, only to find two within the course of a few months. Edward brought so much more than just his love into my life. He brought a whole extended family that filled the holes in my heart that I never really knew were missing.

She pushed through the door, taking my briefcase and sitting it on the couch as she led me to sit down, putting a pillow on the coffee table in front of me and raising my feet to sit atop it. "You know the doctor said to keep your feet up as much as possible. Just look at those ankles! You didn't put your feet up at all today, did you?" She pressed the puffy flesh with a frown before sliding off my shoes and massaging my feet and ankles intently.

I bushed as I shook my head. "Sue, you spoil me. I'm fine. They're just a little swollen."

Sue looked up at me with a flash of annoyance on her face. "A little swollen? Have you looked at these things? You can't even tell you have an ankle. It looks like your calf just sort of morphs into your heel. You have to take better care of yourself, sweetheart. Are you thirsty? Would you like some water or lemonade?"

I smiled with a nod. "Water would be wonderful, Sue. Thank you."

She hopped up, disappearing into the kitchen as I laid my head back against the couch and closed my eyes. My head was pounding and I was really wanting to take a nap, but I knew I needed to finish the briefs first.

Moments later, Sue returned with two tall men at her side. She beamed at me as she handed the water to me before gesturing to her older man to her right.

"Bella, this is my husband, Harry."

I smiled, reaching out my hand to shake his with a nod. "Nice to meet you, Harry."

"And this is my son, Seth," Sue beamed as she wrapped her arm around the waist of the tall slender teenager who appeared to be about fourteen of fifteen.

I smiled and waved since he was further away. "Seth. It's so nice to meet you both. I've heard so much about you from Sue."

I asked them to sit and join me, but the boys declined claiming to be dirty and needing to finish up in the kitchen. I thanked them for coming to help out and promised to add a bonus to Sue's check for their help. They tried to deny me, but I wouldn't hear of it. It was lean times for everyone and they deserved the compensation for their time and energy.

Sue fiddled about me for a while longer before leaving me to my briefs in peace. I don't know how long I had been there, but I must have dozed off because I opened my eyes to find that the sun was setting outside the window, but that wasn't what had roused me.

I heard another terse comment from Sue followed by the retort of a deep voice. Sue's voice grew louder and more frantic seconds before she screamed. I pushed off of the couch and rushed to the doorway to look toward the foyer just in time to see James standing in the doorway looking ominous, gripping Sue tightly around the forearms.

"You will let me in to talk to Mrs. Cullen, or I will just push you out the door and lock it behind me. Either way, I will speak to her."

Sue screamed again as he slammed her against the wall behind her, hitting her head hard against the dark wood. I screamed, rushing forward to tug at his hand. James turned to me looking absolutely evil.

"I have a message for you from the Volturi brothers." I reached into his pocket pulling out a long stick that looked like a short bat, as he released Sue who wilted to the floor appearing dazed. I backed my way further into the house as he stepped toward me, smacking the small bat against his hand with each step. My heart was pounding and every muscle in my body felt as though it were vibrating. I backed against the wall, feeling nothing more than terrified and helpless.

He raised the bat above his head, his eyes burning with an evil fire unlike any I had seen before. Even the soulless Aro did not frighten me as much as this predator. I let out an ear piercing scream, feeling the vibration in my chest and eardrums seconds before someone grabbed the man from behind. I did not get a chance to see who it was before the world went dark.

***

My eyelids felt heavy as I tried to open them. I felt disoriented and confused. When my eyes finally opened to the light, I was even more confused, not recognizing my surroundings at all. Where was I? What had happened? I had no clue.

I lifted my head a little to look around, lifting my hand to push the hair back from my face only to find I was tethered. I looked at my right arm to find a tube coming out of it, running up to connect to a bag hanging from a hook at the top of my bed. I blinked a few times as it all started to come back to me. Home, Sue screaming, James coming at me, and then nothing. I whimpered as I looked around again to find an empty room.

The door opened and a nurse dressed all in white came in, carrying a tray of supplies. She jumped when I rasped from the bed, my voice rough and hoarse. "Where am I?"

She put a hand to her heart before she slowly began to smile. "Oh good, you are awake. We've been worried about you, Mrs. Cullen. You are at Cook County Hospital, ma'am. You passed out after a fright and were taken here for observation due to your condition and history of blood pressure issues. We were worried for a while, but thankfully your pressures are better and the doctors and your family will be glad to hear you are awake. You just missed your mother-in-law. She's been by your side since you were brought into the room. Dr. Cullen made her go eat some lunch with him. They should be back shortly."

"Lunch?" I yelped loudly, catching us both off guard by the sudden strength in my voice.

She pushed me back down to relax on the pillow as she wrapped a cuff around my arm. "Calm down, please, Mrs. Cullen. Yes, Lunch. You have been unconscious for over nineteen hours."

"So, it's lunchtime on Thursday?" The nurse nodded. I raised my hand to my forehead, feeling dizzy again as the nurse pumped the bulb in her hand, listening through her stethoscope as she released the air before she gasped.

All the while, I continued to ramble, squeezing my eyes shut tightly. "I missed the board meeting. Oh, my goodness. I hope something didn't go wrong because I wasn't there."

The nurse rushed to the door to call for a doctor as my head began pounding again. Soon three more people crowded into the room.

"I don't know. She was fine when I started talking to her. When I started to take her pressure, she began to panic, mumbling something about missing a meeting."

I felt the sting of a needle penetrating my skin as another presence moved to the head of the bed, comforting hands running through my hair.

"Bella, sweetheart, it's okay. Everything is okay. You have to calm down, sweetheart. For little Gabriel or Gabriella, you must calm down."

I looked up at the concerned blue eyes of Carlisle. I reached up to grab his hand, feeling the world around me grow fuzzy as my vision blurred with tears.

"Carlisle."

He smiled nervously as he glanced over my head as the other doctor took my pressure again before his face relaxed in relief.

"It is okay, Bella. You are safe. Everyone is fine. The board meeting was cancelled and Marcus is furious."

"What happened?" I asked feeling groggy again.

He smiled, brushing his hand across my forehead. "Sue's son and husband were working upstairs on some other project Sue asked them to do while they were at the house and heard your screams. They ran down just in time to see James stalk you into the corner. They stopped him before he could hurt you, but the combination of the stress and the high pressures made you pass out. You and Sue were both brought here by ambulance. Sue is fine, just a bruise thankfully, but you were really worrying us. We're so glad you're awake dear. Now you just need to calm down and relax."

I felt my eyes fluttering closed before I remembered something important they needed to know. I opened them wide, surprising Carlisle. "The Volturi! Right before he backed me into the corner he told me he had a message for me from the Volturi Brothers!"

I saw the pure anger burn in his eyes as my eyelids once again grew heavy. He grabbed my hand, holding it tight in his. "Don't worry, Bella. We're going to keep you safe. They're not getting away with this."

I tried to thank him, but the words died on my lips before I could get past the first syllable. I felt his warm hand, brushing my hair from my forehead a moment before a softer voice settled next to him. Smaller, cooler hand replaced his moments before sleep won out once more.


	16. United Front

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these recognizable characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**Author's Note: Hey guys! Well I'm staying ahead of posting schedule, just barely. I may have to drop back to once a week soon because between busy weeks, active kids, and other things that have been coming up, I just can't keep the momentum. I will do my best to drop off to no less than once a week! I hope you guys like this one. **_

_**Also, I posted a new oneshot on TWCSlibrary. It will only be posted there, so you must go there to check it out, which I hope you do. It was in response to the TWCS challenge The Sport of Love. They encouraged us to try writing outside of our usual fandom, so I decided to spread my wings by writing a Vampire Academy fic about Rose and Demitri at the Olympics. Hope you go give it a look-see!**_

_**Thanks as always to my beta AgoodWITCH for her beta work! I hope you enjoy this one. I have one more chapter already completed which I will post Wednesday, and then we'll just have to see how it goes from there.**_

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**United Front**

I stayed in the hospital one more night before the doctors agreed to release me into the care of my in-laws. They took me back to Edward's house, settling me into bed before bringing me some lunch in bed. I was extremely grateful for the home cooked meal. Esme and Carlisle doted on me the rest of the afternoon as we all waited for everyone else to arrive. They had informed me that morning that everyone was upset and had every intention of making sure something like that never happened again.

Esme worked all afternoon to cook a big supper for us all to enjoy in the large dining room once the work day was over. I heard the door open and close and the sounds of conversations float up the stairwell to my room as I dressed cautiously before making my way to the staircase.

I was halfway down to the ground floor when Carlisle noticed and rushed up to help me the rest of the way down. I sighed in resigned frustration. If I thought I was treated so though I were made of glass before, that was nothing compared to the situation now.

We all settled at the table as everyone tried to make small talk, but I was tired of the superfluous discussions everyone seemed to insist on having with me. I needed to know what was going on. I was done with the stall tactics.

"Enough. It's time you guys tell me what's going on. First off, Marcus, what happened with the meeting."

He sighed taking his napkin from atop his plate and resting it upon his lap. "Nothing. The meeting was postponed because my father and uncle weren't able to push past our lawyers on the guidelines thing and without either the two of them or you there, we didn't have a quorum. The meeting has been reset for next Tuesday."

I smiled at him. "So they didn't get their way huh? I assume that's why I had my not so lovely little visitor?"

Marcus frowned, running his hand through his hair. "I am so sorry, Bella. James somehow got under the radar. If it's any consolation, he's been arrested and has rolled on my father and uncle. The three of them are all in cells down at the Cook County Jail pending a hearing."

I reached across to rest a hand on top of Marcus'. "It isn't your fault, Marcus. Nothing that they do is. You had no way of knowing, and even if he weren't my driver, that didn't mean that he still wouldn't have come. It's not as if this house is inconspicuous. I'm sure many people know it belongs to Edward."

He sighed with a shake of his head. "When I think about what might have happened, Bella. Edward would be furious with me for not taking better care of you."

I chuckled. "Marcus, Edward himself could not have prevented this. He will be furious, but I don't believe it will be with you."

Ready to move on to another topic, I turned to the rest of the table. "Does anybody know how Sue is doing?"

Carlisle nodded with a smile. "She is home and doing much better. She's chomping at the bit to get back here to you, but I've ordered her to rest for a week before she can come back. She's not happy at all. She has ordered Esme and I to stay and take proper care of you in her absence."

I chuckled, taking a drink of my water with a nod. "Sounds like Sue alright."

"Speaking of Sue," Carlisle said from the far end of the table. "She's made a suggestion that we all think you should take under advisement. Her daughter's boyfriend, Sam, has worked in the past as a security guard. He has some guy friends that have worked with him that she thinks we should look into hiring them to keep you safe. She says there are five of them, so they could rotate shifts and keep an eye on the place for you 24/7. Sam has been out of work for a while and could really use the money, and none of us like the idea of you and Sue being alone here anymore. What do you think?"

I swallowed hard past the lump in my throat. "Do you think they might try something else?"

Carlisle shook his head. "We really don't know, but we definitely don't want to risk either you or the baby on a hunch. At least this way we can all rest easy knowing you are safe and protected."

I sighed with a sad nod. I hated all this fuss being made over me, but I certainly didn't want to endanger the baby over my own pride. The rest of the dinner was more comfortable as we talked quietly while enjoying the delicious meal Esme made for us. I worried what Edward would think of my less than stellar cooking someday when he returned home and I was in charge of meals, like on weekends. I was definitely no Esme.

Once dinner was finished, everyone rushed about to clear the dishes while making me go sit with my feet up in the living room. Before I realized what was happening, I woke up to find my father-in-law carrying me up the stairs, his wife leading us quietly. The two of them settled me under the covers and bid me a good night's rest before shutting off the light and closing the door behind them. Within moments, I had drifted off into the peaceful darkness once more.

_I'm not sure how long I had been asleep when the peaceful silence melted into a scene unfolding before me in my mind terrifying me to my very core as I watched the planes twist and twirl in the cloudy sky in front of the glass of the cockpit. The only thing that kept me from panicking completely was that I could feel Edward, like was there with me. No, more than that, like he was inside me, or I was inside him…I'm not sure which. _

_I couldn't see him, but I could hear him as one of the hands on the stick in front of him lifted to his neck as he spoke before he let out a curse. The other hand still on the stick pulled back sharply causing us to go straight up toward the sun before it was pushed back forward and to one side. The world twirled on its axis through the front glass as we did a roll before pulling out and turning sharply left. I heard a whizzing sound followed by a loud metallic 'tink' that resonated through the cockpit around me._

_Edward swore again, jamming the stick forward to dive down. Below I could see a silver looking plane chasing one that I recognized as American. I held my breath as the hand on the stick shifted to press a button that sent bullets raining from the front of the plane down on the cross section of the tail of the plane below us. The plane instantly began smoking black plumes as the plane began to fall at an alarming rate. The tail broke away just as the hand on the stick pulled up and made a sharp turn._

_I noticed that the body tensed as Edward's voice got louder and more angry. "Oh no you don't, you Kraut mother fucker. You are not keeping me from meeting my fucking kid!"_

_My stomach grew nauseous as we did another series of spins and turns as I once again heard the bullets whizzing past us, occasionally hitting the plane's shell with a loud hollow bang. His breath started to get more ragged as we continued to spin and twirl in the sky, desperately trying to find an advantage over the pursuer behind us._

_I could feel the tears pouring down my face as I began to panic for Edward. He was in such danger…so much more danger than I was. "Please, baby, please stay safe. I love you, baby. Fly your heart out." I choked out as my vision began to grow dizzy from the constant motion._

"_Oh God, Bella. I'm doing my best, baby. I love you, baby. SON Of A BITCH!" He yelled out as he pulled the stick hard before doing a hard left and coming directly back down. Somehow, he had gotten the advantage and quickly pulled the trigger taking out the plane that had been in pursuit. _

_He was breathing hard into the cockpit as his hand rose to his neck again. "Victor Tango, do you read me?"_

_A crackling voice came across the speaker as I noticed a shudder in the plane. Edward cursed before pushing at his neck again._

"_This is Alpha Six, all clear in sector seven, but I think I've been hit."_

_A new cracking voice spoke up. "Alpha Six, this is Alpha nine. I have eyes on you and it looks like you've lost a quarter of your rear stabilizer. You should be able to limp in, but you're going to have to take it easy. I'll take your six while Alpha Seven takes your wing."_

_Edward sighed, his hand reaching up to caress a small square on the control panel I hadn't noticed yet…one of the last pictures of me, my nearly six month stomach displayed in one of Alice's bulky sailor dresses._

"_Copy Alpha Nine. Thanks. That was a close one."_

"_Copy that Alpha Six. We've got your back, you lead the way."_

_The plane continued to shudder as it headed back, eventually directing itself toward a tiny dot on the water's surface. As it grew closer, I realized it was the carrier. I gasped, feeling the panic rise in my chest. How on earth did they do this day in and day out…and not only that, how was Edward going to do that with an injured plane._

_I could feel his tension as we came closer and closer, the shudder becoming worse and worse the slower that we flew in on our approach. Edward was grasping the stick hard in this hands, fighting the rumbling jerks. _

"_Come on, damn it. I just have to land this sucker and then it'll be okay. Come on…COME ON!"_

_A second later there was a screeching sound followed by the plane being jerked into an abrupt stop. Edward let go of the stick, his hand trembling noticeably as he reached out to pull my picture from the place where it was wedged into the edge of a gauge of some sort. He held it in front of him for a long time, stroking my face and my stomach._

"_Another day home safe, my love. Just a few hundred more to go."_

_A second later his cockpit was yanked open and he took the hand of Jasper who assisted him to stand and exit the plane._

_He took a deep breath. "Thanks , man. Thanks for the escort home."_

_Jasper smiled putting a hand around his shoulder. "Thanks for shooting that kraut off my six. That guy was stuck to me like glue. I just knew I was done for. And besides, I've gotta get Papa Bear back to Mama and the cub or my Alice would string me up by my toes."_

_They both laughed as they walked away, but Edward turned back to look just as they reached the edge of the prep area. I gasped as I saw the damage to his plane. The fact that he made it back at all was amazing to me. I felt the tears flowing again, as my heart ached._

_Emmett walked up just about then with a goofy smile. "Cutting it close, Ed, but I've seen you come back with worse. Glad you made it back."_

_Edward sighed, running his hand through his hair as he gripped my picture tightly in his other, looking down at it. "Me too, me too."_

_The three men walked inside leaving me to stand on the deck in abject horror as I stared at the plane. He had come back with worse? Good Lord, how often did he barely scrape by with his life out here? I watched as another plane came in as slowly as the laws of physics allowed before touching down on the runway and being pulled to a stop by the pulley system in place, as my heart raced in my chest._

I woke up to a pitch black room. I was laying on my side clutching the other pillow which was now completely soaked with my tears. I fumbled it he dark for the bedside lamp, pushing the button and yanking my favorite picture of Edward off the night stand to stare down at his image. I couldn't help but wonder how much of my dream was real. Was it really that dangerous? Of course, I knew the answer was yes. All I had to do was look at all the friends Edward already lost to know it was that dangerous.

My fingers traced his beautiful features trapped behind the glass as I thought about my Edward. I spent the next hour crying for him between my numerous prayers for his safety. I did eventually lay back down, leaving the light on the night stand on as I cuddled up with the picture of my husband, finally falling asleep while staring into his beautiful smiling eyes.

The next morning, I woke up with a pounding headache from all the tears I had shed the night before. I cleaned up quickly, sliding into one of my tent like maternity dresses, before going downstairs to find everyone sitting around the table. When they looked up they all froze with looks of concern on their faces. I must have looked much worse than I thought.

I sighed, grabbing a glass of milk from the fridge before sitting down next to Esme and pulling two pancakes from the stack on the middle of the table. I looked up to see every eye on me. I set down my fork with a sigh.

"Relax. I just had a rough night. Bad dreams."

"About James?" Esme asked as she rested a hand on my shoulder before sliding two pieces of bacon onto my plate.

I shook my head taking another long drink. "No, I dreamed about Edward. It was really realistic and extremely scary."

Everyone looked at me waiting for me to continue, so I sighed and told them about the dream of being in the middle of the dogfight with them. They all listened with sympathetic nods and expressions full of interest. When I was done, I turned to Carlisle. "Is that really what it's like up there?"

Carlisle sighed, running his hand through his hair in a very Edward like fashion. "I wouldn't know from firsthand experience, Bella, but that sounds very much like what I have heard other pilots tell. I'm sorry you had such an intense dream, Bella. But it was only that…just a dream…a psychological manifestation of your fears exacerbated by your own recent attack. I wouldn't fret about it too much, sweetheart."

I sighed with a nod as I poured a small bit of syrup on the hotcakes and began to cut them into bite sized pieces, humming as I took my first bite. We all ate breakfast in relative silence. I could tell that everyone was reluctant to leave to go to work. Carlisle really needed to return to his shift, and the girls were needed back at the office, but none of them wanted to leave Esme and me alone.

The slowly worked their way toward the door, finding excuses to stall until a loud knock came at the door. They all looked apprehensively at it before Carlisle walked over to answer. He opened the door to reveal a smiling Sue standing there with a group of four rather large boys standing behind her. The group was invited in as Sue rushed to hug me and apologize.

I tried to tell her that there was nothing to apologize for, but she couldn't let it go. Finally, she introduced her crew of large guys to the rest of us. I chuckled when I realized she had forced her way in early and brought reinforcements. She suggested we settle into the living room as she introduced them one by one.

Sam, her daughter's fiancé was the largest and most determined looking one of the group. I could tell he was really close with Sue and felt protective of her. It made him very angry that anyone had hurt her. The rest of the group was then introduced by Sam. I smiled at the young boys, not much more than teenagers stepped forward one by one to shake my hand. Along with Sam, Jake, Quil, Embry, and Brady would be my security service for as long as was deemed necessary.

They all seemed like very nice young men. They were all very respectful and polite, bending over backwards to take care of me. I rolled my eyes internally as I realized I was now going to have five more people around treating me as if I was made of fragile spun glass. Once the introductions were complete, we all agreed to hire them, with a generous salary.

Once the security was in place, Rose, Alice and Carlisle disappeared into the Chicago afternoon, while Sue settled in next to me with a bright smile. She stayed the rest of the day, helping Esme despite her protests. My two mother figures took care of me while my new massive body guard watched on with an amused expression on his face from across the room. I offered him the option to read any of the books from the library to pass the time, knowing that his job had to be incredibly boring, and telling him to help himself to the radio.

The remainder of the day bled into a busy night full of dinner and laughing, all of us feeling just a bit more relaxed knowing that not only were James and the Volturi brothers were in jail, but we also had a body guard to help keep everyone safe.

Just before bed, Brady came to replace Sam. I set him up on the couch since all of the guest bedrooms were currently taken and slept better than I had the night before. I had another dream, but it was not nearly as scary. Instead, it was incredibly calming. I felt warmth flood my soul as I sat next to Edward on a part of the deck near the back of the ship as he wrote on a piece of paper. I smiled knowing it was to me. The thing that got to me the most though was the tender loving look on his face. Even when I wasn't there with him, he still loved me, just as I loved him. We both had to stay safe, and if we could accomplish that, then we would be together again soon.


	17. A Pain In The Back

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**The next chapter is now completed and will post Monday, but I am going to have to drop off to weekly posts, probably Mondays, from this point forward. I apologize, but I am no longer able to keep up. If I manage to get a bit of an archive saved up toward the end, I will pick up postings until it's done, but for now I must back off just a tad. While on the subject, I think this story will be winding up pretty soon. I have some pretty cool ideas on how to wrap things all up and bring everything together in the end. :) In the meantime, run over to my blog .com to see a teaser for Chapter 18.**

**Thanks as always to my beta AgoodWITCH.**

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**A Pain In the Back**

Night after night, I kept having intense dream after intense dream, keeping me from resting well as I would toss and turn in my bed. Eventually I was forced into taking daytime naps to stave off the absolute exhaustion. My daytime naps were always much more calm. Usually they simply involved me curling up in our bed in Chicago until eventually Edward would join me, enveloping me in warm comforting arms as he would bury his face in my hair and quickly fall into a deep sleep. Every time I had a dream like that one, I would wake up smiling.

It wasn't until Edward started writing in his letters about how every night he would dream about curling up in his bed with me that I started wondering, however improbable, if my dreams weren't somewhat real after all. The next month consisted of weekly letters back and forth, the delay in response getting even more annoying than usual as I began telling him about my nightmares and dreams. I told him detailed descriptions of my dreams, to which he would reply how much was true to life.

When it all came down to it, my dreams were pretty darned close to reality about half of the time, while other times they were far off. The one thing that we both admitted to getting chills from was my first dream about the dogfight when his plane was damaged and he had to limp back to the carrier, barely holding it together until he landed. He said it was like I had scripted it all the way down to the things he had said.

I could barely believe my eyes, reading the letter over and over again until it was time for me to go to bed. I settled between the covers, stuffing pillows around me to support my now uncomfortably contorted stomach that now held the very active eight month old fetus. Baby G tended to grow particularly active at night, which further helped to deplete my nighttime rest. I settled into my cocoon of pillows, shutting off the bedside lamp before curling under the blankets thinking about the improbability of the entire situation.

Was it possible I could sense him at times? Could I somehow 'see' part of his life? And if I could, how could I ever know the real from the imagined, since apparently it is only a true representation of his life half of the time? What if I saw him shot down? How could I possibly handle the uncertainty, waiting to see if it were simply my overactive imagination or my husband's life truly in peril?

I sighed as I felt my heart thundering in my chest. I closed my eyes and breathed slowly in and out, trying to calm myself. My doctors were very concerned about my blood pressure, which tended to spike frequently, especially with elevated stress. Upon their orders, at seven and a half months I was forced into lenient bed rest and not allowed to deal with anything involving Cullen Steel. I could walk around the house as long as I sat often with my feet up, but I was to stay close to home at all times.

I defied everyone, doctors included, only once, and that was to attend a board meeting. There were some things that needed passed desperately for Marcus to move forward with the next phase in the refinement development program that Rosalie and the rest of the engineers had come up with. The problem was, that it was costly enough to need board approval, but without me, and with the Volturi brothers still ineligible to attend, there would be no quorum, so no official decisions could be made.

I was adamant that those improvements be put through as soon as humanly possible. It was expensive in the front end, but I was convinced that some day it would bring in more money for Cullen Steel than any venture they had yet to enter into. Once the war was over and production returned to what it once was, the new incarnation of Cullen Steel's products with the high strength and endurance without losing the ability to be molded as needed would be in high demand around the world.

The day ended up being perfect for a little covert operation, as Esme had gone to some hospital function with Carlisle for the day, leaving me alone with Sue and Brady, who had fallen asleep on the couch. While Sue was busy in the kitchen, I had gotten dressed in one of my tent dresses that were at that point most definitely needed to cover my ever expanding belly, snuck out the front door, and managed to hail a cab to drive me to the meeting. When I walked into the building, I was met with expressions of shock from everyone I came into contact with. When I stepped off the elevator on our floor, Rose spotted me down the hall and literally ran to my side, chastising me the whole way for breaking doctor's orders.

She backed off quickly when she realized that I was adamant. I stayed just long enough to pass the major motions set forth by the board, as Marcus shortened the meeting as much as possible to get me back to bed, a combination of concern and relief gracing his face when he looked at me one last time.

He admonished me as he personally escorted me to the ground floor, helping me into the car he had called to take me home. He insisted that the driver, Michael, walk me into the house and help me settle on the couch before returning to the offices. I chuckled with a shake of my head as Marcus eased me into the back seat ordering me not to pull a stunt like that again, while trying to hide his smirk behind a scowl. I just smiled and wiggled my fingers as I waved goodbye before allowing Michael to take me home and help me inside.

Sue was in a panic when I was brought in, angry with me for sneaking out and ordering me straight to bed. I had fallen asleep almost immediately, dreaming of Edward holding me once more as I slept until the sun began to drift below the horizon. I had not been allowed to leave the house again since that time.

I closed my eyes and focused on the most peaceful parts of my life at this point, letting my mind relive the daylight dreams. Soon my heart began to steady and my body began to relax and melt into the pillows. My mind had nearly drifted completely when I felt a hard kick in my ribs that made my whole body tense, my eyes flying open in the wake of the internal attack on my rib cage.

I whimpered, rubbing over the sore spot with my hand as I whimpered to Baby G to calm down. I felt a few flips and what I was sure was an elbow to my belly button before the activity in my womb finally stopped. I settled back in, thankfully finding sleep the next time my eyelids fluttered closed.

_My dreams were calm that night as I watched Edward eating with Jasper and Emmett. All three looked completely exhausted, dark brown rings circling all three sets of eyes. Edward yawned behind his hand with the fork hanging limply from his grip as he rested his cheek on his fist as his elbow rested upon the metal table top._

"_These night runs are killing me. I hope I can rest today. I don't think I've gotten more than six hours in the last two days."_

_The other two nodded as they yawned as well, sleepily shoveling in the less than appetizing looking food before they finally cleared their plates and made their way to their bunks. After tired wishes for good rest, Edward curled on his bunk and fell asleep._

_My dream disappeared for a few moments, as I floated in peaceful black before I felt the warm embrace wrap around me as it often did during my daytime naps. _

"_I missed you, love." Edward whispered in my ear as he nuzzled my hair. _

_I sighed, cuddling back into his chest. "I missed you, too."_

_I felt his hands caressing the tight skin of my distended stomach. "How's Baby G today?"_

_I chuckled. "He's good…has a strong kick though. I thought he might break a rib earlier when he kicked me."_

_He chuckled behind me. "He huh? Last time we talked you thought it was a girl and now it's a boy?"_

_I shrugged. "It's better than calling the baby 'it'. After that kick I felt today, it almost has to be a boy. That or we are going to have a very athletic little girl."_

_He sighed, running his hand over and over the flesh before Baby G kicked right behind his hand. He jumped in surprise, looking down at my stomach with wild eyes. "I've never felt the baby kick before. OH wow, that's amazing." _

_I looked up and smiled, usually I didn't get to see his face when we were like this. As a rule, we simply cuddled and slept in these dreams, but tonight was different. I frowned as I saw his face, those same dark circles around his eyes, making him look nearly raccoon-like with their dark shadows. I reached up and lightly traced the darkened flesh as he closed his eyes and hummed. I could feel the tears begin to flow. He reached down to wipe them away._

"_I wish I could be here. It is so unfair that I can't be. I'm missing so much."_

_I nodded slowly, relishing in the feeling of his hands brushing my face. We had been together so briefly before he was forced to leave me, but I held so tightly to those tender perfect memories. I sighed, reaching up again to grasp his face in my hands, bringing him down toward me so I could feel the sensation of his lips on mine again, even if it were just a dream. Just before his lips touched mine, the baby jumped hard in my stomach, bringing me straight out of my dream to the dark reality of my room at night. _

I blinked in shock as I realized I had somehow shifted in bed, my pillows stuffed under me in an uncomfortable fashion, my hands raised into the air, grasping at nothing. The baby shifted again, making my whole stomach shift slightly as I realized my pulse was pounding in my ears. I realized the problem, quickly shifting to my left side as the doctor suggested to take the added pressure of the baby's weight off my vascular system. The baby's movement stopped almost instantly as the pounding in my ears slowly faded.

As my body began to find ease again, the pain finally hit from the loss of my dream. I had been so close to sharing a kiss with husband. I missed the feel of Edward so much, especially his kiss. I began to weep quietly as I curled my arms around one of my pillows, bringing it to my chest and burying my face in the soft cushion.

The next morning, I got up and wrote out a long letter, telling Edward all about my latest dream. I wanted him to know how he felt the baby kick and how much I wished he could really feel our baby moving inside me. I carefully dressed when the letter was done, slowly making my way down the staircase while holding tightly to the railing. Halfway down the stairs, my back began to tense painfully, which was not uncommon since my large stomach often put strain on my back, but usually the pain was less intense.

I gasped loudly, deciding to sit on the step where I was, just to be safe. Just as I found the step with my bottom, five sets of worried eyes appeared at the bottom of the stairwell. As soon as they appeared, Carlisle, Rose, Sam, and Alice all shot up the staircase to my side while Esme watched worriedly from the base of the stairs. Carlisle knelt on the step in front of me as he began asking me questions.

"Bella, are you okay? What's wrong? Do you feel faint?"

By this time the pain in my back and finally abated as I took a deep relieved breath. "Yes, sorry. My back spasmed halfway down the stairs. It's never hurt quite that badly before. It absolutely took my breath away, so I sat down just to be safe. I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?" Carlisle asked, looking into my eyes to measure the honestly of my response.

I smiled with a nod. "Yes, Overprotective Grandpa, I'm sure."

He smiled brightly, his eyes twinkling at the sound of his new title. The two men helped me to stand, hovering around me as I made my way slowly to the ground floor. I walked in with them, settling at the table with a sigh. Everything seemed to take so much effort these days. It was absolutely exhausting.

After breakfast, the group scattered leaving Esme and Sue in the kitchen with me as I struggled to eat a bit more of my eggs and bacon while Sam moved to resume reading in the living room. He had been really enjoying some of the novels I had collected over the years.

I didn't have much of an appetite these days, but I knew that the baby and I both needed it so I would do my best. I shoved a few more forks full of eggs into my gullet before I finally gave up, pushing away the plate with a sigh. I scooted back the chair to stand when my back caught again.

I yelped, bracing myself against the table as my lower back muscles seemed to all contract at once. Esme and Sue were instantly at my side as Sam burst through the door watching warily. I managed to ground out through clenched teeth what was the problem as they both helped support me while massaging the tense muscles of my lower back. They both commented on how tight the muscles were as they massaged gently and whispered comforting things to me as they worked. Eventually the pain subsided as I relaxed my stance, feeling more exhausted than I had before I had gone to bed the previous night.

Sue and Esme led me to the bathroom, where they waited for me to take care of my needs before leading me to the couch. I settled back with a moan as they lifted my feet to the pillow on top of the coffee table. They situated pillows around me and made sure I could reach my water before disappearing back to the kitchen while Sam smiled at me from the wingback chair across the room. I moaned as I settled in, falling asleep quickly in my new reclined position.

This time, Edward came to visit me in the living room, sitting beside me on the couch and wrapping me into his chest. I rested my head against his chest, enjoying the sound of his heart when I was ripped from my beautiful dream by my back muscles rebelling once again. I panted as I tried to shift to relieve the pressure. Sam moved toward me, asking if I was okay, as Esme and Sue both ran back in looking panicked.

"I don't understand. I was sleeping that time when it happened. I wasn't even moving. What is going on?"

Esme and Sue massaged my muscles until they finally relaxed. I fell back against the couch with a sigh as Esme wandered toward the front hall mentioning something about calling Carlisle. I told her not to bother him, but she cast me a look telling me not to argue. Sue walked up about that time with a smile on her face. She handed me a familiar envelope with an inverted stamp.

"This might make it all feel better. This came while you were napping, dear. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

I nodded settling back into the cushions of the couch as I opened the letter with a contented sigh. Sam smiled at me across the room before saying he was going to go check the outside perimeter, giving me some privacy with my letter from Edward.

I smiled as I pulled the pieces of loose paper from the envelope, sniffing the pages as I always did, trying to get a whiff of my beloved. I gently unfolded the pages and began to read, tears filling my eyes as I took in his words.

**January 5, 1944**

**My Dearest Bella,**

**Our baby's arrival is quickly approaching and it pains me to say that it is most certain I shall miss it. I think of you both constantly and wish more than anything that I could be there for you. I love you both more than anything I have ever known. Just know that even if I can't be there at your side, my heart is with you always.**

**I do have one consolation in all of this. Even if I can't be with you I person, I spend every night with you in my dreams. I savor every one, as I come home from a busy day at work and cuddle up behind you, wrapping you in my arms and caressing our baby inside your womb. I know it is nothing more than a dream, but I savor each and every one. **

**I just received orders today that Emmett, Jasper, and I will begin escorting bombers into…**

I whimpered as the next paragraph was blacked out. Edward was always so careful that he didn't write things that the censors would catch, but this time he had shared too much. Perhaps that is why I got it a whole week later than I typically would have. I couldn't help but be frightened as I realized where he must have been going for the censors to want it concealed. My heart began to pound harder as I fought the panic. Edward was flying into Germany. I looked closely as I could, trying to see if I could make out anything, the only thing I was sort of able to see was what I thought was the top half of an eight.

I sighed, shifting down to where the letter continued.

**I hope you are taking care of yourself, my love. I was not happy when Jasper and Emmett both told me a tale which you neglected to share. If your doctor says to stay home, sweetheart, then PLEASE stay home! Cullen Steel will survive a few more months without your presence. Our sweet Baby G is more important than anything to do with the company, so please, for my sanity, please don't do something like that again.**

**I love you more than words can say and I can't wait to get home to you and our precious little baby. I just hope that he or she is still a baby when I get to return. I love you so much. Take care of yourself and our little one; the two of you are my entire world. **

**Love Always,**

**Your Edward**

I sniffled as I read his letter over and over again. My heart still ached at the thought of him being in even more danger. It sounded as though he were encountering enough German pilots just patrolling the part of the Mediterranean he had been in, much less actually going into German airspace. I knew it was crucial to the outcome of the war, but the thought of him in so much danger made my heart and head ache.

I sat there taking deep breaths as I tried desperately not to let me emotions get the best of me when my stupid back muscles screamed out again. I cried out, this time the pain so strong that tears began to stream from my eyes. The pain clenched slightly tighter as my back arched instinctively.

At the sound of my cries, my three guardians flew back into the room looking panicked. I barely heard Esme tell the others to take care of me, as she said she was going to call Carlisle, saying that my back aches were ten minutes apart and could be back labor contractions. I felt myself start to panic when I realized what that might mean. Months and months of planning, the nursery now fully decorated and ready for our child to arrive, and yet I still felt completely unprepared for motherhood.

I began to gasp, feeling the panic rise in my chest. Esme came back into the room looking contrite.

"Bella, Carlisle agrees that this could be the beginning of labor, or it could be false labor. At any rate, you are still too far apart to do anything unless your water breaks. He suggested that Sam, Sue and I help you get upstairs and settled into bed where you will be more comfortable."

I nodded with teary eyes, taking Sam's offered hand to help me rise from the couch. Esme took one side as Sam took the other, leading me toward the stairs when my back tensed again. They paused to let me breathe through the pain. Just as it was beginning to abate, I felt something that almost felt like a pop seconds before warm liquid flowed down my legs.

I gasped as Esme looked down in surprise. "Oh dear. Well, I guess we won't worry about the bed then, because that was your water breaking dear. Sam, could you please bring the car from the garage? Sue if you would be so kind as to bring Bella's bag and a change of clothes. We'll get you cleaned up, dear, and then we're off to the hospital to deliver my Grandbaby!"

Esme was beaming with pride while I stood there, panicking on the inside and crying for my husband who wouldn't be at my side.

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**Author's Note: Come on guys…I don't cliffie you often and I wanted the baby to be its own chapter. So until next time…you can always get a teaser on my blog :) acullenwannabe dot blogspot dot com**


	18. Welcome Baby Cullen!

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognizable characters in this story. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**Author's Note: After this week, I will be cutting back postings to Mondays only. I was pretty sure I was going to have to do it soon, but after the past week of bb girl getting a mild case of chicken pox from her immunization and then my son getting the flu yesterday, it is now most definitely official. I did however get two chapters written Thursday night while my son was sleeping over with cousins and my daughter was sleeping during the three days between the end of the CP and beginning of the flu. The first chapter was very short and takes place soon after this one, so I decided to go ahead and post it this Thursday as usual, but after that it will be once a week. **_

_**Anyway, enough of the official announcements crap. Welcome to the birth of Baby G and finally discovering if BBG is a girl or a boy :) Thanks as always to my beta AgoodWITCH!**_

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_**Welcome Baby Cullen!**_

It was chaos as I was led to the car and helped into the back, encouraged by Esme to lie across the back seat and try my best to relax. The anxious yet excited expression on her face was so endearing, it wasn't even funny. Sam's knuckles blanched white as he drove through the busy city streets to the hospital where we had arranged for the baby to be born.

I moaned as another contraction hit, making me once again feel like I had no idea what I was doing. I certainly wasn't prepared to be in the hospital for the next week or so. Just the thought of being stuck in a bed on a maternity ward for the next week made my skin crawl with the need to escape, and I wasn't even there yet. It was disappointing that even Carlisle's pull and Edward's money wasn't enough to get me a private room. Beyond the fact that the hospital was filled to capacity and no other rooms were available, all of the trained nurses would be working the Maternity Ward, the large room full of beds for new mothers only separated by curtains, and could not leave them to go attend to me alone. I understood, and normally I wouldn't think twice about being in a ward like everyone else, but while I was in the sites of the Volturi Brothers, I didn't feel safe in a place where anyone could come and go as the pleased, more or less. Then again, there was the added benefit of witnesses, I guess, but I didn't want to risk anybody else being hurt because of me either.

I suffered through three contractions as we slowly pushed our way through the thick traffic, made worse by an accident somewhere between the hospital and us. When we finally arrived, Esme walked in with me while carrying my bag, while Sam found a place to park the car. I was settled into a wheelchair before a large gruff nurse pushed me through the hallways to my destination, not even bothering to slow down when another contraction hit during our traverse.

I was soon settled in a bed on a ward with several women in various states of delivery. I couldn't help but feel anxious as I shifted on the bed, trying to get comfortable. I had read Dr. Grantly Dick-Reed's book Childbirth Without Fear and had been practicing his techniques for natural childbirth. I had done the few breathing and relaxation exercises for several months after my Obstetrician, Dr. Gerandy, recommended his work when I expressed worries about the sedation methods I had heard of. Thankfully, he was very cooperative with my desire, promising to only give me the medications if it was absolutely necessary or if they had to surgically deliver the baby.

Technically, nobody besides the nurses were supposed to stay with me, but the benefits of a doctor in the family managed to get me Esme, and at times, Carlisle, by my side to calm me and support me. Nobody else was allowed to visit. The pain was becoming increasingly unbearable, the 'back labor' as a nurse informed me with little compassion, was far worse than I had anticipated. I had expected to feel the contractions in my stomach region, not in my lower back muscles. My lack of mental preparation for this event had me panicking and abandoning my relaxation exercises quickly.

I cried and screamed, whimpering pleas for my husband who wouldn't have been allowed to be with me even if he were here, although I couldn't help but wonder if Carlisle could have pulled off a miracle there as well if the chance had arisen. Often the fathers were expected to stay away and smoke cigars in the waiting room, since most were unable to cope with their wife's discomfort. I knew, though, that Edward would have been at my side if he could. He would have held my hand and brushed the cool cloth Esme used on my forehead to comfort me. He would have been so excited and yet worried. It broke my heart that he was going to miss all of this, most especially his first child being born.

The nurses only popped in sporadically and there were no doctors in sight. We had been in my curtained cubicle for more than eight hours and nothing seemed to change except the slow intensifying of the pain. After I while, I began to beg Esme to help me move around a bit, shifting my position on the bed. When I shifted to climb down, I discovered that moving on my hands and knees seemed to help lessen the pain considerably. I sighed with relief as I shifted a little on the bed.

Esme looked toward the curtain separating me from the rest of the ward with concern before shrugging with a smile, massaging the tense muscles of my lower back lightly. The first contraction after my change in position was far more bearable if I moved a bit and concentrated on my breathing. After that Esme was all for my own methods of relief if they made the contractions that much more bearable.

We went on like that for a good half an hour before a nurse popped her head in and began instantly yelling for me to get back in the bed. She insisted that I would kill the baby and myself if I didn't stay in bed on my back. I cried as I crawled back under the covers.

Esme tried to talk to me and distracted me with the wonderful idea of dictating a letter to Edward while we were waiting so that he could be a part of the experience as well. It did help distract me until the second major contraction hit leaving me screaming on the bed. Something had changed and the pressure was more intense.

Esme looked up with worry as the nurse popped her head in again, informing me with a bored expression that I more than likely was in transition and that the pain would only get worse between now and the actual delivery. I sobbed as another contraction seized my muscles and my will to carry one dissipated immediately.

Esme frowned at the curtain after the nurse left before moving to my side. "Forget them," she mumbled into my ear as she helped me sit up. "Let's move you back on your hands and knees. It seemed to help you a great deal and was the way many women dealt with the pain of childbirth before medicine decided it knew better. My grandmother was a midwife and told me stories. You just do what you need to do, sweetheart. If that nurse comes in and yells again, I will make a call to Carlisle and Dr. Gerandy and make them clear it so you can do what you need to do. There are historical pictures of women squatting to give birth going back hundreds, if not thousands of years, and yet the human species has continued on. I'm pretty sure you crawling on your hands and knees isn't going to hurt either one of you!"

I gave hear a grateful, teary smile as she helped me shift back onto all fours where I focused on my breathing, surviving the next two contractions with far less screaming. Soon Carlisle looked back in, surprise showing on his face before it was replaced with a soft smile. Esme looked at him sheepishly with a shrug.

"She feels better this way. The nurse yelled at her earlier, but I don't believe it will harm them like she said, and with her back labor, I believe she's in much more pain that I was when I had Edward."

He chuckled, moving to her side to kiss her temple as he massaged her shoulders gently. "I believe that the passage of two and a half decades may have dimmed your memory of that slightly, but I'm sure you are right. Back labor is reported to be the most intense for the mother."

Another contraction hit and I shifted again, focusing on my breathing as Esme rubbed my lower back. I was so incredibly grateful for her. I don't know how I would have survived without her. How did women do this alone?

I whimpered a little as I pushed through the last of the contraction, shifting on the bed as needed. When I finally stopped, I sat back on my heels, taking a deep breath with closed eyes. When I opened them Carlisle was beaming even more brightly at me.

"You handled that extremely well, Bella. I'm proud of you. You keep doing whatever you need to in order to get you through until it's time to push, but then you must lay down for the doctor to deliver. In the time until then, I will inform the nurses that I have given you permission to do this as needed. They won't like it, but they won't argue."

I sighed, reaching for the cool wet cloth in Esme's hand. "Thank you, Carlisle. Do you know how long before I have to push?"

He looked to Esme. "How far apart are her contractions?"

I gasped, leaning forward to prop myself on my hands and knees again. Carlisle made mumbled, "Ah…I see," as I huffed my way through the contraction again, rocking and shifting as needed, tears pushing past my closed lids, but still bearable enough not to make me scream. When it passed, I looked up imploringly as he smiled at me.

"It shouldn't be long now. I'm going to ask for your dilation to be checked. My guess is you'll be ready to push relatively soon."

"How soon is relatively, Carlisle?" I half growled toward the curtain, before looking apologetically at my father-in-law. He chucked shaking his head.

"I can't say for sure. All deliveries are different. It could be anywhere from fifteen minutes to two more hours. It all depends on how dilated you are and how quickly you complete the process. Considering the closeness of your contractions, I would say it would probably be sooner, but you never know until the cervix is checked."

I nodded with a whimper, shifting on the bed once more. Within a few minutes, the nurse came in, scowling at me as I huffed on my hands and knees through another contraction.

"On your back so I can check your progress. If you are any more than an 8, I will insist you stay on your back as you are SUPPOSED to do."

Esme growled lowly from her seat next to me, glaring at the nurse who looked at her with an uninterested expression. "Just because you have connections does not mean you should get special treatment. There is a reason doctors give orders for laboring women. It's not just to hear themselves speak. You are using your connections to take unneeded risks and honestly I'm tired of hearing you cry and whine when you refuse to take the gas and put yourself out of your misery."

I cried out when she unceremoniously shoved her fingers into my uncomfortable private zone, tears streaming as the intrusion caused a different pain to shoot through my body. She removed herself abruptly before turning to leave without telling me anything.

"Wait! Please! How far along am I?"

She sighed, turning back with a look of disdain. "I'm going to find Dr. Gerandy. You are fully dilated and will be ready to push soon."

I wave of relief flooded through me for a second before another contraction hit, making me yelp in pain. I screwed my eyes tightly closed, somewhat grateful for the distraction from the panic I felt rising up deep inside me. This was it. There was no turning back. I was about to be a mother. While I was more than ready to end this horrific pain I was in, I was still terrified of taking care of this little life without his or her father by my side.

Esme ran her hands through my hair and whispered comfortingly at my side as I tried to breathe through the labor, wishing I could move back on my hands and knees, but knowing that the rest I would have to do on my back.

Soon the curtains opened wide, exposing my cubicle to several faces that moved inside the space, trying to make Esme leave. I looked up at Dr. Gerandy with pleading eyes.

"Please, please let her stay. She'll help me stay strong."

He frowned, glancing at the glowering nurse before sighing and looking at Esme. "If I tell you to, you have to move away and let us work if there are difficulties." Esme nodded emphatically before hunkering at my side and whispering in my ear.

"You are going to be fine, Bella. Women have been doing this for centuries. You are a strong and capable woman. You can do this."

I began to cry as my legs were lifted into stirrups by the two nurses who stood by the doctor while another stood at my head. Time seemed to slow into a horrific crawl as the doctor told me to push as my next contraction began. Esme's encouraging voice kept me grounded while the other nurse ordered me sternly from the other side.

I pushed and screamed and screamed and pushed for what felt like forever, but was only about thirty minutes when Dr. Gernady looked over the sheet draped across my legs. "Bella, try not to push for a moment while I get set up. The baby seems to be stuck and I need to use forceps to help it out. Do not push until I tell you too."

I cried as the next contraction came. I tried so hard not to push, but my body was doing it to a degree all on its own. The nurses yelled at me not to push as I cried out in frustration.

"I can't! I'm telling my body to stop, but it's not listening! Hurry Doctor!"

I panted loudly, trying to remember my relaxation tips from my book and finding that I couldn't remember a single one. After an eternity, the doctor called out to me from behind the drape.

"Now, Bella. Push!"

Esme held my hand as I bore down hard, grunting and huffing as I pushed through the pain, trying so hard to help my baby escape its captivity.

"Good, Bella. Good! Again!"

I leaned up a bit, putting as much force as humanly possible behind the push. The doctor told me to wait a moment again, before giving me permission to push once more and in an instant I felt the baby move free of my body. I began to sob as a tiny cry filled the room. Esme leaned forward and gasped a teary cry as the doctor held the baby up quickly at my feet.

"It's a girl!"

I cried harder as I saw my beautiful baby girl covered in disgusting blood and white stuff. The doctor handed her off to a nurse who disappeared behind the curtain. I cried, wanting to see the baby, but nobody would listen as the doctor and nurses conversed at my feet as my body continued to cramp lightly before I felt another sensation of something pushing through me and then there was a relief.

"She's beautiful, Bella," Esme cried quietly, pushing my hair back from my face. "She's so perfect. Are you certain about her name?"

I smiled through teary eyes as I nodded. "Gabriella Cherie Cullen…yes…absolutely." I paused, looking around before thinking of something.

"Oh, Esme, could you please get the letter to Edward. Let's write about this right now and put it in the mail to him. We'll send another more detailed one in a few days when we can have pictures developed for him."

Esme gasped, lifting her hand to her chest. "Oh! Of course!" The doctor left before we could even begin as the nurses cleaned me quietly and helped me get more comfortable on the bed again. I would move to the post delivery ward in a few hours, but for now, I was going to be staying where I was.

By the time Esme and I worked together to complete the letter to Edward telling him the wonderful news of his new baby girl, a kinder looking nurse walked back in carrying baby Gabriella wrapped in a beautiful pink blanket. Esme watched with watery eyes as she handed her to me. I was so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open, but the second they put her in my arms, my exhaustion was completely forgotten.

Her perfect pink lips formed a perfect 'o' as she yawned, blinking up at me with glassy blue eyes. I smiled, cooing down at her as she stared intently in my direction, her tiny fists moving jerkily around her face. I began to cry again at just how perfect she was and how great she felt in my arms. I pushed the little hat back to reveal a tuft of perfect bronze hair, just like her daddy. I kissed her forehead as the tears flowed heavier.

"Esme, can you please add a note before you seal the envelope that she has his hair. He will love that."

"Of course, Bella," Esme rasped as she quickly flipped the pages open again, scribbling speedily before sealing it, with the promise to mail it on her way home for the night.

The nurse and Esme helped me position baby Gabby to nurse at my breast, to try to feed her quickly before I fell asleep. It took some work, but eventually she latched on, making me gasp in amazement as she suckled contentedly, grabbing above the nipple with her hand. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. After about ten minutes, she popped off and the nurse whisked her off quickly before Esme could even have a chance to hold her.

I was upset, but I was too tired to really fight too hard. Esme assured me that it was okay and she would see her granddaughter soon. She joked that Grandpa would get them in one way or another. She gave me one more kiss before promising to mail the letter and leaving me to fall into a deep sleep.

_When my dream settled, I found myself walking around the decks of the ship toward the bunk area. I smiled. This was probably all in my own head, but I knew the layout of the ship pretty well now. I walked down until I found the bunk Edward usually slept in, his body laid out with his arm tossed over his head. I smiled as I climbed in behind him and fell into a deep sleep next to his warmth._

"Wake up, Mrs. Cullen. It is time to move you to the Post Partum Ward. We need your bed for the ladies coming in. Let's go sleepy head."

I whimpered as they shifted me quickly to a wheel chair and rolled me down the aisle between the closed sheets concealing panting and crying women. How I had ever managed to sleep through all of that was beyond me. We exited into a green hued hallway where we traveled a short way before I was pushed through another double door and down another row of beds. We passed several empty ones before I was settled in at the one beside the window.

The nurse who had been abrupt with me all day and commented on my preferential treatment sneered toward the window. "Hope you like the view. Your father-in-law pulled quite a few strings to get it for you. Doubt you'll appreciate it though."

I frowned at her in exhausted confusion before she huffed and walked away with the chair, not even bothering to close the curtain behind her. I lay there for a long while before deciding to try to get up myself and close it. My body ached as I moved, but anything was better than those contractions. I closed myself away from the rest of the ward and settled back onto my bed, smiling as I stared at the sun rising on the horizon outside and how the color of the light right along the horizon matched my daughter's hair almost perfectly.

I smiled toward the morning light a few more minutes before I fell back into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.

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_**Author's Note: FYI, Bella being told that shifting position would kill her and the baby came directly from a audio slideshow I found when doing a little research about childbirth in the 40's to get an accurate description. A DOCTOR actually said that to the poor woman in labor in 1946. Also, many women were pretty much drugged for the majority of their labor during that time. Natural childbirth was a very new concept as far as hospital birthing went at that time, but I figured Bella would be hungry for info and latch onto anything that was supposed to be better for the baby. I hope you enjoyed little baby Gabriella Cherie's birth! **_


	19. Back Home

**Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**Author's Note: Happy Easter everyone…as a gift to you, you get this chapter a bit early. Teasers for the next chapter are up on my blog! Thanks to AgoodWITCH for her ever vigilant beta skills!**_

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**Back Home**

The next week after having Gabriella was pure torture. The rules were so strict. I hated only being able to have visitors for one hour a day and only seen my sweet baby girl for feedings. The five days I was trapped in that ward without my loved ones and having my daughter yanked out of my arms the second she was finished eating, not to see her again until next feeding time was almost more than I could bear.

The second Carlisle came in to tell me I was being released I literally cheered aloud, earning disgruntled murmurs from the ladies around me. They were already annoyed because I kept having nightmares every night of Edward in danger, waking everyone with my high pitched screams. I felt horrible for disturbing them, but it wasn't as if I had any control over my dreams, and I was certain that if they were having those same nightmares about their husbands' they would react the very same way. Night after night I would pray over and over that they were just dreams and not something more, holding onto the hope that it was simply a psychological manifestation of the trauma of birth and his missing it all. I had to hold onto that hope, because anything less would drive me absolutely insane. I had to believe the best and pray it was so.

When Carlisle told me the good news, I literally begged him to make it as soon as possible. All I wanted to do was get back to my home, surrounded by the artifacts of my husband's life, and begin getting to know my beautiful daughter, who looked so very much like her father. Carlisle chuckled, promising to do his best while Esme came in shortly after, beginning to pack my few belongings in anticipation of my departure. She was just as excited as I was to get to spend some time getting to know our little Cherie better.

Four hours after Carlisle shared the news, Gabriella was brought to my bed area where Esme and I painstakingly changed her into a sweet little dress with a white sweater over it that Esme had knitted to protect her from the cold January weather. Once she was dressed with the sweet little white knit cap atop her head, we swaddled her in a thick fleece blanket. I sat in the wheelchair as ordered before a beaming Grandma Esme handed her over to me.

I stared down at her with an unflappable smile as I was rolled through the corridors. I pushed the edges of the blankets back to get a better look at her tiny face, her cheeks rosy, probably from being too warm thanks to the overabundance of blankets that was a bit much for the indoors, but would be required once we exited the building. I brushed a finger softly across the perfect porcelain skin of her cheek, colored lightly with the pink hue, and sighed. She was so perfect, and I found it hard to believe that she was truly mine.

Once we reached the street level, I quickly wrapped her more tightly in the blanket, bringing her to my shoulder as I covered her head and face to protect her from the blistering winds. Esme tried to take her, but I knew that would expose her to the cold, so I focused, standing on my own with my baby clutched tightly to my chest before sliding expediently into the back seat of our waiting car and scooting across to allow Esme to join me in the back seat.

The second the doors were closed, I pulled Gabriella away to make sure she was okay. I smiled as I found myself met with her startling blue eyes, opened wide. I was almost certain that I could already see touches of green coming through, but it was far too early to know for sure. A girl could hope though. I didn't notice anything the entire car ride to the house, instead tuning all else out in order to stare into my daughter's beautiful eyes, cooing at her, and savoring the bonding experience.

When we arrived at the house, I bundled her tightly to me again before sliding out of the car and rushing toward the steps, being careful to watch for any ice that could make me fall and potentially injure us both. Thankfully, I made it inside with no traumatic events to a house full of excited faces waiting to see us.

Due to the strict rules about family only, only Carlisle, Esme, Rose, and Alice could see me, and even then they had lied and claimed to be my sisters in order to get through the doors. Well, it wasn't really a total lie. If I were to ever have sisters, then they would be it, but I'm not sure that the hospital would see it that way if they knew the truth.

Sue was the first to hold Gabriella once we got home. She was so excited. It was almost as if she had another grandmother, just as Sue had been like another mother to me. Marcus was next and then a few of the boys who had been around the past couple of months on guard duty. It was funny to watch them hold her tensely; worried to move in case they might break her.

Soon Gabriella began to fuss, and I smiled recognizing it already as her hungry cry. Esme led the way, carrying her up the stairs as I slowly and carefully followed to the nursery. There Esme already had everything set up, allowing me to settle into the rocking chair that faced out the nursery window which overlooked Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan beyond. She settled Gabriella in my arms, asking if I needed anything before leaving me alone to bond with my daughter.

She eagerly latched on, suckling intently as I stared down into her light eyes with a contented sigh. The only thing that could possibly make all of this more perfect would be for Edward to be here with us. After she was fed and burped, I carried her to the changing table where I changed her cloth diaper before changing her out of the frilly dress she had worn home into a soft white sleeping gown with a tiny bow at the neckline. I folded the ends of the sleeves over her tiny hands to keep her from scratching as she had done a few times in the hospital before wrapping her back in the swaddling blanket and moving back to the chair.

I settled back in and rested her on my chest as I rocked slowly, humming a lullaby with my eyes closed. The feel of her weight and heat against me felt so perfect and relaxing. Her breathing evened out soon as her weight changed ever so slightly against me and I smiled knowing she had fallen asleep listening to my voice and my heart.

I wanted to sit there all day with her, just enjoying the feel of her in my arms, but I could feel the exhaustion catching up with me again. If I stayed there, I could easily fall asleep which could be dangerous for the baby. Reluctantly, I carefully laid her down in her white crib, watching her until she stopped shifting and fell back into a deep sleep before creeping out of the room and down the stairs.

Most of the guests had left, understanding that we were tired and both needed to rest. I hugged everyone before climbing back up the stairs to climb back into our bed for the first time in nearly a week. I rolled on my side and immediately drifted from the world around me.

_It didn't seem to take very long at all before I felt the bed dip behind me and Edward curled up with me. _

"_I missed you," he sighed reaching around me to massage the baby, only to jump up when my large distended stomach had mostly disappeared, leaving only a flabby lump behind instead. I turned toward him with a smile as he blinked at me with surprised eyes._

"_Did? Did you have the baby?"_

_I smiled and nodded as he ran his hand through his hair, looking distressed. "I missed it. I missed it all. What was it? Was it a boy? Was it a girl?"_

_I chuckled. "Yes, it did have to be one of those, didn't it?"_

_He glared at me playfully as I chuckled. "We had a beautiful baby girl that I named Gabriella Cherie Cullen, just as we agreed. Esme and I have written several letters to you this week and Esme even managed to sneak a few pictures that will come soon as well. She looks so much like you, same color hair and I think when they change, her eyes will be green like yours as well."_

_He blinked at me slowly, moisture pooling in his eyes as a slow smile crept across his face. We smiled at each other for a long while before I remembered my nightmares. I sucked in a deep breath as I felt my brows furrow involuntarily. Edward's eyes clouded to match mine as he cocked his head._

"_What's wrong, love?"_

_I sucked in a deep breath. "I've been having horrible dreams about you, Edward. Awful, terrifying dreams! I hate that you're flying into Germany now. I know it's necessary, but I'm so scared. I keep dreaming you get shot down in German airspace and get taken captive. I dream these horrific dreams of dirty POW camps where you are tortured for information and hurt repeatedly. It's unbearable! And the worst part is, I don't know if it's just a dream or if it's really happening. I want so much to believe that this is real and that isn't, but there's no way to know!"_

_I began to sob as he pulled me against his chest, shushing me quietly as he stroked my hair in long gentle trails. "It's okay, my love. Please don't cry. I'm okay. I'm here. Can you feel me? Trust this. I'm here with you now and I'm okay. Don't let these dreams make it harder on you. Believe in the best and everything will be fine."_

_I took slow shuddering breaths into his neck, savoring the smells that were so decidedly Edward. It all seemed so real. I so very much wanted this to be the reality. I wanted him safe on the carrier, in his bunk, dreaming of me as I dreamed of him, but as real as this all felt, the other felt real too. I had no way of knowing for sure, but he was right, I had to do my best to stay positive._

_We finally relaxed back on the bed as we curled together, chatting quietly until the sounds of the real world in Chicago pulled me hastily from his side. _

I sat up quickly, covering my face with my hands as I tried to pull myself together, the moisture from my tears wetting my palms and fingers. I could hear the tiny cries of my sweet baby girl through the wall that separated her room from mine. I rubbed my hands roughly up and down my face before scooting to the side of the bed and tossing my legs over.

I slid a robe over the sleeping gown I had changed into before climbing into bed. I walked quickly to the side of my daughter, her perfect cries reminding me that no matter what else was going on in my life, she was the one thing that was most definitely real and needed every bit of me now. I didn't have time to agonize over what was real and what was not in my dream world, she deserved better than to have my attentions divided by what could possibly be nothing but fiction derived from my own mind. The only way to know anything was to do my best to wait patiently for each and every precious letter from my husband and hope against hope that the Western Union man doesn't come to my door bearing bad news.


	20. Evil Brown Envelopes

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognizable characters. No copyright infringement intended.

Author's Note: Okay, only one of you called me out on the fact that I had said I would post chapter 19 last Thursday. I had completely forgotten thinking I had decided that both stories would post once a week now. I've been so busy with family parties, etc for the holiday that I totally blanked.  
When I haven't been busy with that, I've had my face buried in The Black Dagger Brotherhood series, which is excellent by the way. Anyway, postfail was my bad…so now here's the update you were supposed to get today. Sorry for the confusion!

Thanks as always to AgoodWITCH for her beta work. I'll warn you now…this one is an emotional rollercoaster ride. Now on with the chapter….I have no update yet for next week's chapter, so check the blog occasionally to see if it posts…or add me to twitter and I will tweet when it posts. Link to my twitter account can be found on my blog.

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**Evil Brown Envelopes**

Time was passing quickly…far too quickly. Every day Cherie, as we now liked to call her, was doing something new. It only took us a few weeks before we found ourselves clamoring to find one of those 8mm cameras to record bits and pieces of her growth and progress for Edward to see when he got home.

It actually ended up working out very well for us when a friend of Harry's had another friend who was an out of work filmographer desperate for money for him and his family. They were on the verge of losing their home when we were introduced. He sold us his camera and all twelve rolls of 8mm film he had, at which point we promised to sell the camera back to him when things got better and he once again found work in his field of expertise.

We couldn't have gotten the camera at a more perfect time. Carlisle was simply playing with it when he ended up by some course of luck catching Cherie's first smile. There were many more that followed, most of which were caught either in still life or in slightly grainy moving film.

Every week I did my best to catch Edward up on the latest Cherie news, with pictures to go along whenever possible. My breath always caught in my chest when a week would go by without my regular letter from Edward. I was always terrified that at any moment the Western Union delivery man would come calling, and I just couldn't handle getting that telegram. The terror was nearly paralyzing.

Having Sue and Esme as readymade babysitters, made getting into the office a couple times a week much easier. On the rare occasions where my presence was needed longer than two or more hours, they would simply bring Cherie up to the office for me to feed before taking her back home again. It was a system that worked quite well, and everyone at the office absolutely adored our precious little girl.

Along with Edward's hair and what were now most obviously Edward's beautiful green eyes, she also inherited the Cullen charm. I swear she was like a beauty queen in a parade as she would smile her most beautiful smile, the corner of her little eyes crinkling as she would giggle slightly in response to anyone who would look her way. We were definitely going to have our hands full when she reached her teenage years. With charm like that, as well as the Cullen looks, my poor Edward would have to sleep by the front door with a shotgun to keep them all away.

Not that I liked looking forward to the future like that and wishing her life away, but sometimes the thoughts just seemed to creep in. When they did, it always made my stomach clench uncomfortably. Would Edward actually make it home to be there to play century when the teenage boys came knocking? He didn't have to tell me that things were worse than ever, I could sense it in his letter and feel it in my dreams. There was absolutely no denying that he was looking death in the face every day and all I could do was hope against hope that he came out the victor.

I got lost in my morbid thoughts again as I put on my business suit, which was still a bit snug in the hips even though I had lost pretty much all of the weight. Esme and Sue both assured me that it was all a part of motherhood and that anyone with narrow hips like me would experience a bit of widening after giving birth. I understood, but it didn't mean I had to like it. I sighed as I zipped up the skirt before tucking in my white silk shirt, turning slowly to look in the mirror with a sigh. I couldn't help but worry that Edward might not like the changes in my body once he got home. We had only been together a few times, but if he held onto his memories of them as tightly as I did, he might be very disappointed when he came home.

With another sigh, I shrugged into the matching jacket, grateful that it was just long enough to cover the fact that the material was slightly strained at the widest portion of my hips. I slid into my heels and walked into the living room where Sue sat playing with a contented Cherie.

"Okay ladies, Marcus promised that the meeting wouldn't go long, and he intends to take care of all of the major business early. If she needs me before I'm back, don't hesitate to call and have one of the secretaries deliver the message to me and I'll come right home or you can bring her to me…whichever works best."

Sue smiled, taking Cherie's hand and making her wave. "Okay, Mommy. We'll be fine. Grammy Esme is supposed to arrive any minute. We love you! Have a good meeting."

I smiled, crossing the room to kiss my beautiful smiling daughter's cheek before walking to the door where Sam was waiting to escort me while Jacob stayed behind with Sue and Cherie.

As I walked through the building, everyone smiled and greeted me. I loved being able to be back on a regular basis without everyone trying to shove me right back out the door. It was hard being away from Cherie, but knowing she was safe with not one, but usually two women who adored her as though she were their own, I knew she was well taken care of, if not completely spoiled. I was also comforted in knowing that they wouldn't hesitate to bring her to me if she needed me and that took the last of my guilt away. Even when I was away, I could still provide for her whatever she needed.

I was running a bit more behind than usual as I stepped into the smoky board room, sincerely wishing I could get away with making it a no smoking meeting, but I had already done enough churning of the status quo to know better than to try to take away their tobacco. It was a disgusting habit, and I sincerely believed there was no way it could be healthy, but as far as the greater public was concerned, there was nothing wrong with it. I had even seen an ad the other day speaking of the health benefits of cigarettes. I sincerely doubted the validity of that claim, but most of the rest of the men in this room had jumped on the bandwagon immediately.

I settled into my seat at the far end of the table opposite Marcus who smiled at me when I locked eyes with him. I opened my briefcase and shifted through my papers, smiling when I found a new letter from Edward on top. Sue must have snuck it into my case before I left that morning. I pushed it aside with a loving caress, wishing I could open it now, but knowing that I needed to save it for when I was alone or else I might tear up in front of the men I least wanted to show weakness in front of.

The meeting went smoothly and was over even more quickly than I anticipated. Marcus smiled as he offered to escort me to the elevators when it was over. Things were going better than we had even hoped, stocks were up, the government had doubled their orders of our stronger steel, and the research department was already making spectacular progress on improving on what we had already been able to deliver. Finally, after nine months, Cullen Steel was back to the level it had been when Edward left. Marcus and I both felt proud that we were taking care of it for him.

I stepped out of the building smiling up at the warm spring day. The sun was shining and the birds had taken residence in the park across the street again, singing gaily to the beautiful weather. It was April once again, and today was the first anniversary of the day we met at the USO dance. It amazed me when I thought about how much had happened in one short year. It was full of more dramatic ups and downs than the rest of my life put together, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

After savoring the day for a few moments, I finally slid into the car, greeting Sam happily before he pulled away from the curb and into the dense traffic. As I rode home in the car, Sam not speaking a word as he navigated the streets, I couldn't help but tug Edward's letter from my case and open the back, tugging out the pages carefully.

**My dearest Bella,**

**Things have been a bit calmer here the past few days. After the whole accident in Switzerland, the US Air forces have been cut back a bit inland. **

I sighed, feeling bad for Edward. He never did, or I guess actually never could tell me if he was involved with the accidental bombing of Schaffhausen, but I knew if my some bad stroke of luck he was, he was probably quite upset over it.

**After having been there, being out over the water again feels like a vacation…almost. **

**Thank you so much for the newest pictures of our little Cherie. She's absolutely beautiful, just like her mother. Have you noticed that she has your smile? I could look at that smile all day because it is just one more reminder that she's this perfect little blending of you and me. **

**I find it humorous that you think that her skill at charming the masses comes from my side of the family, my dear. It is you that bewitched me from the first moment I saw you. You greatly underestimate your powers, my beautiful Bella. I cannot wait for the day when I finally get to go home and hold both of my beautiful perfect girls in my arms. I love you both so much.**

**I am sorry that this letter is so brief, but I have to go and will not have more time to write before the mail plane comes, so for now this is adieu, with a promise for something more next I write.**

**Love Always,**

**Edward**

By the time I finished reading the letter, we were already back at the house. I carefully folded it, sliding it back within the envelope so I could tuck it into my overflowing shoebox full of letters from Edward, all placed in sequential order. I carefully placed it back in the briefcase and closed it before allowing Sam to help me exit the car.

We walked in to find the house eerily quiet. I tiptoed into the kitchen to find it empty, as was the rest of the first floor, although Jake was still stretched out on the couch with a book, so I knew that they hadn't left. I carefully crept up the stairs and stood outside the nursery to listen as Esme and Sue sang in harmony over Cherie's crib. I smiled as they sang _You Are My Sunshine _with such genuine affection it caused my eyes to tear.

As they were about to start the second verse Esme looked up with a warm smile. "Now there's the lady we've been waiting on. She's been looking for you, Mama. She has been fighting sleep for the past half an hour, but not crying. I think she wants some milk and cuddle time before she'll give up the good fight."

I smiled brightly, stepping to the side of the crib and looking down with a smile as Cherie's head turned to look in my direction, the smile on her face shining all the way up into her eyes, like always. I loved how babies were incapable of giving anything less than a genuine smile. Every time her toothless grin overtook her features, her whole body would tense in joyful reactions. It was a wonderful thing to behold.

Immediately her hands and feet began flailing as if she were trying to climb up into my arms, making me laugh. I leaned in, cooing to her quietly as I lifted her to my chest where she cuddled up happily. I chuckled, moving to the rocking chair as Esme and Sue positioned it and assisted me in removing my suit jacket before leaving me alone with my hungry daughter.

As she nursed happily, I sang quietly, stopping occasionally to talk to her. We often carried on long one-sided conversations during these times when I would tell her all about her Daddy and how much he loved her. I would tell her how her name came to be as I mumbled to her in the tiny bit of French I knew, calling her Mon petite Cherie, as I threw in a few phrases I knew here and there.

Once she finished eating, and was burped, I lifted her to my chest where she curled up and nearly instantly went limp as her breath evened out in the deep sleep of an exhausted infant. As always, I battled with the desire to keep her in my arms as she slept, but I also didn't want to spoil her to it either, so I reluctantly laid her back down before going back to the living room to visit with the other adults.

I sat up late that night, writing a letter to Edward telling him about my day and how beautiful it was and my realization that it was the anniversary of when we met. I also reminded him that if the mail was on schedule, he would most likely receive the letter on or very near our first anniversary, as I wished him a happy one and sent him my love. I woke early the next morning to mail it, hoping it would make it in time.

****

The next two weeks went by quickly, but I was anxious because once again, we had not gotten a letter from him on schedule. I couldn't help but be worried every time I didn't receive my regular correspondence. If something went wrong, how long would it take before someone would let me know? Every afternoon, I would anxiously await the postman, while also anxiously watching for the Western Union man to pass my front door so I could breathe again.

Before I knew it, our anniversary had arrived, and I still had no word from Edward. I found myself pacing the length of the house all morning, waiting for the mailman to deliver our mail. Poor Cherie was just as stressed by everything as I was, as she soaked up my anxiety like a sponge. I hated upsetting her, but I couldn't let go of the idea that something was wrong. It just had to be for Edward not to send his usual letter this week. It was five days late.

The rational side of me recognized that he had a job to do and that it kept him too busy sometimes to write. Not only that, there had been many occasions where the mail plane had been delayed due to bad weather or other inhibiting factors, but I just couldn't let it go. I wouldn't feel at ease until I had another letter in my hand as proof that he was okay. I know my information was always two weeks behind, but to not have the paper meant that two weeks ago he could have been gone and I wouldn't have known.

I watched anxiously for the mailman, practically attacking him when he walked up the concrete steps to our mail slot. I apologized after yanking the letters out of his hand before quickly rushing into the house, flipping through the envelopes in desperation. When there was once again nothing from him, I tossed the mail on the floor with a frustrated scream, which in turn made Cherie cry, making me feel like a horrible mother.

With tears in my eyes, I ran to her side, lifting her into my arms and caressing her short bronze tinted hair that was only slightly darker than her father's. I cooed through my tears as I apologized to her for upsetting her. I settled in to nurse her shortly after before putting her down after she fell asleep mid feeding.

I grumbled as I returned to the first floor, resuming my pacing. Esme and Sue finally got me to sit down long enough to eat some soup and bread before I was up pacing once more. I had been up and down the hallways about fifty times in the hour between when I ate and when the knock came at the door. I had been so busy obsessing neurotically that I hadn't even paid attention to anything else going on around me.

Brady, who was on duty today, came into the doorway from the living room looking worried as I opened the door, wondering if someone dangerous could be on the other side. I pictured James, back to complete the job, or another hired gun come to take me out, but what stood on the other side of the door was something I hadn't been prepared for at all.

Smiling at me with his brown uniform and oddly shaped hat with the Western Union logo on the front was a teenage boy not more than sixteen at the very most.

"Telegram for you, ma'am."

I reached out for the envelope as I felt my knees turn to liquid. I collapsed in the doorway, sobs escaping my mouth with was now covered with my hands. Brady was instantly at my side, taking the brown envelope from my hand as Sue and Esme rushed in, both crying as well.

Brady thanked the boy who looked confused before picking me up and carrying me to the couch as I screamed in agony while staring wide eyed at the little brown envelope. It looked so innocuous, and yet I just KNEW what was inside. I couldn't bear to open it as I shook on the couch.

Esme took the envelope from Brady with shaky hands. She looked at the front warily before her eyebrows furrowed.

"Bella, didn't your friend from work say that when bereavement notices go out they come from the government offices in Washington D.C.?"

I nodded numbly as I wrapped my arms around my legs and rocked slowly, trying to find some way to lessen the pain.

"Well, then why does this say London?"

I froze, looking up at her in surprise. She looked back at me with equal surprise as I rushed to her side and yanked open the flap. I pulled out to see the telegram words typed upon the small square. Below a bunch of little codes I didn't understand and the words London and Chicago was a message…

**Mrs. Isabella M Cullen **

**Happy Anniversary, my Love. Sorry you did not receive a letter this week. Was in transit to England and didn't catch the mail plane at either location. Am doing well but not allowed to call since no business related issues. I love you more than words can say and I dream of holding you in my arms for our next anniversary. Love Always, Edward.**

I collapsed on the floor for a second time in tears, but this time it was in relief as I smiled at his words.

"It's from Edward. He's in England. He cabled me to wish me a Happy Anniversary. He's fine."

My voice cracked as I said the last part, laying down on the floor in relieved exhaustion. I had just gone through hell over the course of the last few minutes. Part of me wanted to throttle him for giving me that scare. Perhaps he had not realized that Western Union now delivered the notices, but how could he when I have mentioned that fear. Maybe he thought the joy of his words would supersede the panic. In a way he was right, but as my heart continued to pound in my chest, my hand still shaking from the panic induced adrenaline running through my veins, I couldn't help but be even more terrified that the next time one of those boys came up to my porch, the news would not be as pleasant.

I carried that telegram with me the rest of the night, reading it over and over to remind myself that he was okay. Not only that, I didn't know he was okay two weeks ago. I knew he was okay just a few HOURS ago. Once that realization finally set in, the panic seemed almost worth the knowledge…Almost.

Once everyone was tucked into bed that night, I carefully pulled out my shoebox, tucking the telegram in with the rest of the letters and sliding the box back in its home under the bed. I climbed under the covers and said a quick prayer of thanks that Edward was alive and well before falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	21. The Mysteries of Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Twilight. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**Author's Note: Ahhh…live has suddenly become a b*tch and writing time has gone the way of the DoDo. Well, that's not entirely true, I've had the time, but thanks to personal crap going on with a crazy Aunt, the words just won't come when I try to write. Then to make matters worse, my son overflowed the toilet in his bathroom this morning and didn't tell me. I found out only when I heard the water dripping in the basement. I ran downstairs to find out what was wrong only to slip and fall down a few of them and sprain my ankle. So now, I'm unable to do anything and am all achy and grouchy…and even now, while stuck in a chair with my leg propped up, no words! **_

_**WARNING: In the meantime, this chapter will cause a pretty good case of heartfail. The next chapter is already written. I have decided to be kind, and will post it on Wednesday so you won't have to wait a whole week to find out what happens next. A very small teaser, yet still should help belay your fears a tad, is up on my blog. Acullenwannabe dot blogspot dot com. With any luck, inspiration will strike this week or else I may not have any updates for you next week :( I'll do my best to keep you updated in the form of blog posts and twitter updates. In the meantime, here is this update. Thanks as always to my beta AgoodWITCH! TTYL!**_

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**The Mysteries of Time**

I couldn't help but think how strange it was that time seemed to trickle by in slow motion in one respect and yet pass in a flash in others. Each passing week between letters seemed to stretch on for an eternity as I strained my patience watching for the next bit of news from Edward, to know he was okay, to know he was safe. Weeks seemed like months and months seemed like years.

For every perceived decade I spent waiting for word from my husband, the opposite phenomenon was happening with my daughter. It seemed like she was developing and flourishing within blinks of my eyes. In the course of a day it sometimes seems she had developed new skills that should take months. Her smiles became giggles, her relatively immobile body began to roll, then sit up, and then eventually crawl, and her understanding of the world around her grew more encompassing every day. It was astounding to watch as we all did our best to document as much as possible for her Daddy who was missing it all.

By her nine month 'birthday' in October, our little Cherie had already begun pulling herself up to stand and walking around while holding onto the fingers of an adult. We all knew it was simply a matter of days before she would take off on her own. I was so excited to see it, always marveling at every advancement she made, but at the same time, they always made me sad for poor Edward, still fighting so far from home.

As for Edward, it seemed like his letters had morphed into running commentary responses to the updates we sent on Cherie. He had yet to hold her in his arms, and yet it was obvious that our little girl was already his whole world. The best part of all was that he got to dream of her and I just as we dreamed of him.

I had sobbed when the first letter came, almost exactly three weeks to the day from Cherie's birth. The date in the upper right hand corner was the morning after she was born, when he told me all about an elaborate dream he had about me giving birth and how much he wanted to beat down a nurse who was being quite rude to me. I immediately wrote him back telling him that his dream had actually happened.

The next week, he had outlined another dream of sleeping in bed with me and I told him that it was a girl and we named her Gabriella Cherie…once again the letter laid out like a screenplay for our interaction.

It took about five weeks before all the correspondence back and forth left us astounded at what could no longer be denied. We undoubtedly had a connection that could not be dismissed. The next letter after the realization was established, I got a letter from Edward begging me to tell him that his worst nightmare had not been true, and that if it were that I had not kept it from him all this time. I sobbed as I replied to the letter admitting that his nightmare about James trying to attack me had been real and begged his forgiveness and outlining my reasons for withholding the information.

He understood, in a respect, but it had led to about a month worth of stiff letters between us as we hashed out the upset as best we could. It was so much harder having a two to three week lag in response to such emotionally charged material, leaving both of us weeks to wallow in the concern over the other's reactions.

After we worked our way past that, it all got so much better, and now our letters were always filled with so much happiness and good news, only marred by the sadness that he could not be at our side to experience it all first hand.

November 8th, 1944, over a year after the chaos that moved us all to Chicago, the Volturi brothers finally faced the trial regarding their activities during the months between when Edward left to serve his country until I showed up at their board meeting, the newly vested controlling stockholder in the company to stop their misdeeds. They had expensive, high powered attorneys at their side, but in the end, there was simply too much hard evidence against them not to sentence them. Both brothers were sentenced to twenty-five years in Joliet without parole. Apparently, you don't mess with the government during a war and manage to be capable of getting out early on good behavior.

Throughout the entire trial, Marcus and I along with our friends and most important coworkers attended every day and each of us took the stand to testify. I felt such relief when the verdict was read, but it quickly died in my chest as while the others cheered in delight, Aro cast a hateful glare my way that sent shivers down my spine. I couldn't help but hope against hope that his reach would not be able to extend beyond the walls of the prison yard or else I might find myself still in danger.

Once they were convicted, a 'family' meeting was called to order, which included my family, friends, and bodyguards. After much debate, it was finally decided that the around the clock security who had been at my side for more than a year was no longer necessary. Instead, at my suggestion, the guys were all offered jobs at Cullen Steel. With the new advancements in the R&D department, new security was needed to keep our newest research projects as safe as possible.

Rosalie and her team were truly proving their genius as they pushed ever closer toward a new way of making durable metals that would ultimately weigh less, the end result would be faster, sturdier planes that would be the new wave of the future, allowing planes to move much more quickly through the air. They already had preliminary talks running with two companies looking into the development of jet engine technology. Between the genius of Rose's team and the engine development groups they had their way, the next war we entered would be one much more quickly resolved by a new breed of peacekeeping airplanes.

Professionally, Cullen Steel was doing better than it had in more than three years. Finally, we had a company that we all felt we would be proud to return into my husband's capable hands when he returned home. Not that he cared, he was far more interested in returning to his family, which made me happier than pretty much anything, but it still felt good to know we had done it for him nonetheless.

Everything was going well back home. With the exception of missing Edward and worrying about him while he was away, the clouds had cleared and things were truly looking up. I should have known that the sunshine can only stay for so long before another storm blows through the ruin the peace.

For months and months, I had nothing but good dreams about Edward. Each and every one, even when I was riding with him was positive. Edward had never told me anything about escorting bombers on raids, because it wasn't allowed, but I knew because I was there. I was always spared the rough parts though, only getting to ride through the white fluffy clouds, seeing the bright blue sky engulfing the forms of massive bombers dotting the horizon with small fighters like Edward's hovering throughout to deal with any Nazi fighters who tried to intercept them. I rode through a few exchanges with the Nazi planes, but none of them were nearly as terrifying as the first dream. The fighters would circle just outside of the actual drop zone, staying clear of the flack that filled the air in the distance through which the bombers shuddered and jerked until they reached their targets and dropped their bombs at which point the fighters would rejoin them to escort them home.

In dreams like these, I finally began to think positively about the war, believing we were reaching the end as the bombers went in and leveled production facilities throughout Germany, Romania, and many other surrounding areas. Finally, it seemed like we might just be seeing results, and I think perhaps I started to get too cocky as well, convinced he would be home soon.

That was until the night of December 21, 1944, the night that my blood ran cold in my veins as I watched in horror before I awoke screaming at the top of my lungs.

_The first part all went according to plan. We floated in, chased around a handful of fighters, shot down four on our own and rejoined the bombers on the return run. When the water in the distance showed on the horizon as the sun began to rise, we both relaxed into our seats, knowing that it wouldn't be long before we were touching down on the English shore._

_We couldn't have been more than thirty miles from the shoreline of the channel over the Netherlands when a squadron of Nazi fighters came up on us from the South. With a few loud curses, the fighters turned to engage and protect the bombers as they finished the distance to the airbase in Norwich from which they had left. It was perilous for everyone since all of the fighters were extremely low on fuel. They needed to get back as desperately as the bombers, but with the current strategy the bombers were more important because they were literally leveling Hitler's manufacturing capabilities. _

_The world blurred into a orange lit glow as the sun shone dimly along the Eastern horizon as he rolled and shifted, we took out one, two, three fighters before shooting one of Emmett's tail and redirecting the one about to nab Jasper. Jasper's trailer, however, was a superior pilot to the boys they had been encountering up to that point. For every move Edward made, he countered, staying on our tail until he had a clean shot. _

_Within moments we went from going up and leveling out to losing control as we began to fall quickly toward the ground. Yelling voices in the radio told us that the tail was completely shot off, Edward had to eject immediately. He fumbled for the ejection handles, yanking the picture of me holding Cherie off the gauges before a loud bang exploded and he shot away from me into the air._

As I sat up and screamed, my hands clutched tightly over my tear stained face, Alice and Rose busted through the door and ran to my side, soothing me with words and touches that I could not feel or hear. I needed to go back to sleep, to make sure he was okay, to find out WHERE he was, but my heart was pounding with the adrenaline rushing through my body as my breath wheezed in my chest. I couldn't stop screaming and crying.

I vaguely heard Rose yell for Alice to call Carlisle as I continued to wail, shaking my head as I shivered atop my mattress as time didn't creep, but rather seemed to halt.

*****

Esme paced the living room with Cherie as I rocked on the couch. From the looks on everyone's faces, I must have appeared as frantic as I felt. My hand trembled as I clutched them around my legs, my knees tucked under my chin.

"It was real. I know it. I….I just KNOW it, Carlisle."

Carlisle sighed. "Bella, there is no way you could know that. With the Volturi gone and the business doing so well and Cherie letting you sleep through the night, maybe your mind is just now free enough to fully manifest your fears as nightmares."

I shook my head so hard as he spoke that my stringy hair whipped back and forth across my face. "No, Carlisle. I don't know how to make you believe this, but I could feel it. I could feel him. I'm not sure where we were when he was shot down, but we were in airspace near Amsterdam when we were engaged. I lost track of where we drifted from there, but it was real! He was so close! I know he ejected, but I don't know what area he was in, how far from the channel, and even if he can reach the channel, how would he ever get back across? Oh God!"

I buried my face in my knees and sobbed while Rose and Marcus began phoning Marcus's contacts in the military. It would be useless. With so much going on over there and so many men MIA, the likelihood that we could get any information would be slim to none, but they insisted on trying.

I closed my eyes and prayed my heart out until I heard Cherie fussing across the room from where she had been sleeping on Esme's shoulder. I opened my eyes to see her arching her back and grunting, trying to get down. Esme finally settled her on the floor as she stood, staring at me with her huge green eyes, glimmering with anxiety. She was worried about me, which broke my heart.

She glanced around and I could tell from the look on her face, she was looking for something to hold onto to steady her as she walked across to me from the far side of the room, but there was nothing besides the wall where she was. She looked from Esme, who looked distracted out the window toward the lake, her hand fisted over her mouth as she tried not to cry, and then back to me before she held her hands in front of her and began to rock side to side before she managed to take a waddling step in my direction.

I watched in quiet bewilderment as a light of realization illuminated in her eyes and with determination she began to toddle unsteadily toward me, her hands in front of her to catch herself if she fell forward. I gasped, drawing everyone's attention to me before their eyes drifted to the object of my focus, a chorus of small gasps following their new view as eleven month old Cherie took three steps before losing her balancing and leaning forward to place her hands on the floor. She squatted for a moment before standing up again and taking a few more.

Everyone cheered for her making her beam even more brightly, a beautiful distraction from our desperate pain for the briefest of shining moments. She continued the same way twice more before reaching the coffee table which she held with one hand to steady herself as she sped her steps with the added balance to reach me more quickly. I smiled sadly down at her when she reached me, sweeping her into my arms and holding her close, kissing her rosy cherub cheeks as she cooed at me, rubbing her chubby little hand down my arm comfortingly.

I held her closely, sobbing as I rocked her back and forth on the couch. She didn't move to leave me, as we rocked back and forth without end. The sun rose slowly as I continued to hold her. Alice eventually took her to change and feed her as I stayed in my spot, gripping my arm across my waist to hold myself together as best I could.

When the baby was fed and dressed, Alice brought her back to me, settling her in my arms. Cherie relaxed into me, resting her head against my chest as we still waited for some kind of word, anything. Everyone tried to get me to leave the couch, to eat, to dress, to use the restroom, but I wouldn't move…I couldn't.

The smells of lunch were floating on the air when I heard an anxious deep tone echoing from the telephone stand. Seconds later, the bell in the housing of the phone rang dimly as the mouthpiece was slammed down seconds before stomping feet ran into the living room where I still sat.

"It happened…it really did happen. Jasper and Emmett radioed in the approximate location that he went down in Belgium. Thankfully, it was in a section of the Belgium countryside not currently occupied by Nazi troops. They're trying to get authorization to go after him, but without an exact location, they aren't allowing it. There is a supply route that goes through that area. Everyone has been told to keep an eye out for him. With any luck, he will get a ride home soon with one of the supply trains."

I gasped on the couch, taking shaky breaths and praying Marcus was right and he was safe where he was. If he wasn't injured when he landed, hopefully he was okay and making his way to the channel. My stomach churned painfully, wishing I could go back to sleep. Maybe if I could, I would be able to get a definite location….something…anything was better than nothing.

Time ticked by, each second seeming to span a thousand years. He had to come back to us…he just HAD to!


	22. Safe

**Disclaimer: I do not own any character originating from the Twilight Series. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**Author's Note: When the words came this week, my brain apparently jumped ahead to the epilogue, which I hope you guys like once I get to that point. We are getting very close to the end. I'm thinking we will have possibly three more chapters (if the words ever come) before the epi. Hope you enjoy the chapter. I was doing a lot better this morning, and then I tripped over my son and dropped my laptop in my ankle and now it's screaming at me again :( I beginning to think I'm never going to get a break from this stuff!!!!**_

_**Thanks as always to my beta AgoodWITCH for her always speedy beta work and her constant encouragement and support.**_

**Safe**

_The sun was low in the sky as I lay on my stomach next to Edward in a tall field of dead grass. He was hurt and couldn't move well, doing his best to try to make his way toward the coast during the nighttime when it would be less likely he would be spotted. He had an extremely hard landing, his leg snapping painfully on impact. He did his best to try to reset the bone, using the lines from his chute to tie two somewhat straight tree limbs he managed to crawl to find at the edge of a nearby forest to create a brace for his leg. He found another thicker limb, which he used as a pseudo crutch to hobble along the shadowed edges of the sprawling grassland. He had a general idea of where he had landed and knew he was quite close to the supply lines that bridged from the coast inland through the recently reclaimed Belgium to support the defense of Germany's newest assault to try to reclaim Belgium. With any luck, he would be running across some Allies soon, but was still unwilling to travel in the daylight on the chance that the Germans had managed to push that far into Belgium since his crash landing two days before._

_I wished so desperately I could help him as the darkness loomed deeply enough for him to slowly stand, hissing as he placed weight on his injured leg once more. Lodging the Y-shaped branch under his arm, he began the shuffle once more, doing his best to make up as much ground as possible. _

_It was cold; the only additional insulation he had against the freezing chill was the material of his parachute, which he had wrapped around himself in such a way to allow him to walk. He had managed to find some water earlier in the day, but I knew he still had to be thirsty and his stomach often rumbled deeply in famished agony. My heart splintered at his discomfort for which I was powerless to abate. _

_For the past two nights, I continued doing this, walking with him through the Belgium countryside, or laying in a field, hoping that he could somehow feel my presence. Occasionally he would say things as if he were talking to me, frequently pulling out the picture of Cherie and I, sighing deeply before another surge of determination would fill his features. I just hoped that his body could hold out as long as his will._

_As we continued on through the field, we both froze, not even breathing as we listened to the new sound echoing off the trees to our right and the rolling pasture we had just been lounging in. With a painful expression devoid of the verbal cry I knew should have accompanied it, he dropped to the ground, watching for the motor vehicle we could hear approaching us. _

_Edward leaned as best he could from his place of concealment to get a glimpse of the vehicle, which had stopped only a few dozen yards from our location. With a gasp, he jumped up, not bothering to stifle the cry of pain as he began to wave his arms. I stood at his side and felt relief flood my body when I saw a jeep full of three allied soldiers, illuminated by the full moon. Salvation had finally come. He would be safe._

_After a few yelled confirmations across the distance, the guys ran to Edward, helping him reach the jeep where they gave him food and water. He didn't speak for a long time as he gobbled the food with fervor. _

_A Brit with blonde hair patting him on the shoulder, "I can't believe we actually came across you, mate. We thought you might have gotten turned around and headed the wrong way. Good thing you didn't. Hitler's Panzers are pushing through not thirty miles east of here."_

_Edward gulped past the lump in his throat. I could tell he was thinking of how close he had come to not making it home to us. _

_The officer laughed and continued speaking as Edward's eyes grew heavy, the exhaustion of his few days of the survivor life was catching up to him quickly. "Well, your wife will be relieved. I hear she and her friends harassed the Americans until they finally got word. Supposedly your wife dreamed about your crash and had them on the telly before the rest of your mates had even landed."_

_A slow smile spread across Edward's scruffy face as he leaned his head back against the seat. "I can believe it, boys. Matter of fact, she probably already knows you've found me."_

_I giggled, leaning in close to whisper in his ear, "You better believe it, baby. I love you."_

_Edward shivered a little before sighing and drifting off to sleep sitting up in the jeep as the soldier behind the wheel sighed deeply. _

"_Well at least somebody is getting something nice for Christmas."_

I sat up in bed, wiping my eyes for the first time in several days out of happiness instead of misery. I just hoped against hope that it was real as well, and not simply my mind concocting what I wanted to happen. That was the maddening part, I knew it wasn't ALWAYS correct, but so much of the time it was that I couldn't let go of the hope that it really was real. I had an additional hope that his injury would mean a plane ticket home. Oh God did I ever want him home!

I slid out of bed and went about taking part in the holiday festivities, doing my best to make it happy for Cherie, all the while haunted by the hope of dream and the dread that it may have simply been just that.

I willed myself to him every night when I tried to sleep, but I couldn't seem to reach him. Panic was growing thick in my chest as I began to wonder if his rescue was all a dream and I wasn't finding him anymore because he had frozen to death on a field somewhere in Belgium. Days passed with the painfully slow cadence of a death march as my feet paced the floors of the house relentlessly. The calendar flipped each day as my feet continued to roam, my body incapable of finding peace without knowing for sure he was safe.

Four days later, the phone rang. I sprinted to the receiver, barking out a hello laced with the tension I had been holding tightly to for the past week. The line was filled with static as I listened for a reply.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" Still nothing. I felt my voice cracking as I spoke speedily into the mouthpiece. "Please, if this isn't either my Edward or someone calling with news of him, then please free the line now."

I sniffled as I reached up to wipe away a tear just as a weak and scratchy voice barely came across the line. "Bella? Can you hear me? Please don't hang up, baby…it's me."

I fell to my knees as I cradled the handset tightly to my ear, trying to hear every breath proving he was alive. "Edward? Oh God, Edward!"

A shuddering breath breached the crackle filled air before his voice grated again on the line. "Yes, sweetheart, it's me. I'm okay, but then again, I think you already knew that."

I began to sob as the tension holding me together throughout the past week melted away. I could hear everyone in the house congregating behind me, but I didn't take time to acknowledge them. They had already heard the important part…Edward was safe.

"I did, baby. I did. I was with you every time I closed my eyes until the Allies found you. I will always be with you if I can."

Another ragged breath mixed with a sniffle rang in my ear. "I love you, Bella. With my injury, I will be coming home as soon as I am well enough. They won't let me travel until it is a bit more healed, but it won't be long now, my love."

I smiled and cinched my eyes closed as tears of relieved joy dripped off my chin unhindered in their journey from my eyelids. "We will all be waiting. We miss you and we love you more than you know."

"I love you too, Bella."

Cherie began fussing in the background, fighting in Grammy Esme's arms to be let down. When Edward heard her high pitched protests he gasped.

"Oh God, is that her? Is that our little Cherie?"

I chuckled, "Yes, that's her. She voicing her protests because Grammy Esme won't let her down."

I turned to Esme with a smile, nodding for her to let Cherie down. Cherie giggled, toddling over to me and hugging my arm.

"Would you like to talk to your daughter? She's right here."

"More than anything," he gasped on the line.

"Okay, hold on." I lowered the earpiece to Cherie who leaned in to listen. This was something we often did with Grammy Esme, so she was used to listening to the cooing voices on the line. She listened intently with curious eyes.

"Okay Daddy, she's listening," I said leaning close. I could hear the muted mumblings from the earpiece as I watched my daughter's expressions. She furrowed her brow slightly looking confused, but didn't move to pull away.

After a while, there was a pause in the bass tone coming from the receiver. I started to pull it away to talk again and tell him about how she listened closely to his words when she giggled and began to babble in her own personal Cherie language that nobody but her understood. The only words we could make out were Mama, Sue, and Mammy, which was what she called Esme since she hadn't yet found her 'g's.

I smiled as I heard the bass mumble back before Cherie giggled and pushed the handset toward me. I took it, hugging her to my chest as I greeted my husband once more. I could hear his sniffles for a few moments before he finally spoke again.

"I am going to get back to the two of you as soon as I can. I can't believe I've missed so much already. I love you more than you know, Bella."

I sighed, holding onto every syllable while recognizing that our time was already coming to a close.

"I love you, Edward. We will all be counting the seconds until you're back here with us!"

With that, our conversation came to a close and the line went dead. I listened to the vast emptiness for a long while until the loud beeping brought me back to reality. It was only then that I began to wonder how he had made the call. The last time I had to accept reversed charges, but this time there was no operator to go through.

A shock of fear ripped through me for a moment as I began to wonder if this was yet another dream. I began to search frantically for proof that it was real when Cherie tugged my hair lightly before resting her hand on my cheek.

"Yummm, Mama," she said, pointing at her mouth to indicate she was hungry. I sighed with a smile, hugging her closely and kissing her forehead. It was real, it just had to be. I climbed up off the floor, accepting the hand of assistance offered by Esme, before walking into the kitchen to settle Cherie into her high chair and begin cutting up a banana for her to eat.

I smiled as I worked, focusing on one thing and one thing only…I didn't know how soon, but in the not so distant future, my husband would finally be home! I couldn't wait!


	23. Birthday Party

**Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters. Copyright infringement not intended.**

_**Author's Note: Hey guys. Well here's your update for this week. I do have the next chapter done and so there will be a teaser on my blog. We are heading out of town for my son's birthday next weekend, so I'm not sure how the next update will go. It will either go up early or after we get back, depending on the time I have available. I have the chapter ready, so I will either post before I leave or once I return. Either way, I will get it to you as close to post date as I can depending on how things go. Lots to do between now and then!**_

_**Thanks as always to my beta AgoodWITCH. You guys may be slightly disappointed with this chapter, but I promise next chapter will make everyone happy!!!**_

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**Birthday Party**

Every day I found myself watching the door, hoping Edward would walk through it. Cherie's first birthday was quickly approaching and I kept praying he would make it in time. We got a few phone calls from Edward in the weeks that followed. Edward was in a cast and doing quite well. Within a few days, the doctors had managed to rehydrate him, get him fed and healthy again, and fix his leg. I cringed for him as he told me that they had to re-break his leg in order to set it correctly before the put him in a cast that covered his leg all the way up to his hip. Apparently, Jasper and Emmett visited him every day, teasing him by calling him Hopalong Cassidy and goading him about his lazy slacker tendencies buying him a trip home. Of course, they didn't mean any of it. They didn't resent his chance to go home a bit; they simply wished they could go back to their girls too.

According to the doctors, Edward could have come home the first week in January, but the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium was taking up far too many resources to bother sending any planes stateside, much less one carrying wounded soldiers who were perfectly safe on British soil. Thus being so, while Edward had a free pass home and was physically capable of doing so, we were still being deprived our long awaited reunion. It was frustrating, but at least he was safe.

We wished we could say the same for Emmett and Jasper who were flying off on a daily basis to provide air support for raids into German airspace to take out strategic production sites, as well as flying support for the bombers hitting the Panzer lines in Belgium. We didn't want them to be hurt, but we were definitely all praying for a quick ticket home for them as well.

January marched by in yet another slow process, the 28th day of the month looming before us all, nearly mocking us with the sheer irony. Edward could be here…he SHOULD be here, but once again, Hitler had to get in the way. I swear it was enough to make me want to climb into the cockpit of a plane and fly to wherever he was hiding away in Germany and personally shoot his sadistic head off.

In the meantime, Cherie was getting much braver about walking without assistance. She would often pause and brace her hands on the floor when she needed a break or felt like she was losing her balance, but then she would stand right back up and keep moving forward. As the weeks have passed, the number of pauses has decreased dramatically. It was still astounding to me how quickly she was growing and it was happening before my very eyes.

My heart pounded anxiously in my chest the morning of January 26th when the radio announcer read the news, informing us all that the Allies had won the Battle of the Bulge, pushing Hitler's army into a hasty retreat. I swallowed hard with the hope that the news carried with it the speedy expedition of Edward's return home.

The hope quickly began to fade when the next morning we still did not see Edward or hear from him. The same was true when the sun rose the morning of the 28th. In all actuality, the moment of her birth came and left while we slept quietly through the first hours of the day. The anxiety and excitement for the day resulted in my waking before Cherie that morning, so I tiptoed down the stairs and settled at the large window that faced the lake with a cup of coffee in my hands. It was bitter without any sweetener, which we had hoarded in order to make Cherie's cake for the party later that afternoon.

The sugar rationing had hit an all time high, and we got so little each month that we scrimped for several months on both sugar and flour based foods so that we would have plenty to make her birthday cake. In addition to the cake, I had managed to make a few connections through Sue to find some craftsmen to help me get some great presents lined up for Cherie in spite of all the rationing, which had even cut into our yearly allowances of shoes and stockings. The economic situation on the homefront were still difficult for many who did not have job skills specifically related to the war effort.

Through Sue's network of friends, I found a woodworker barely getting by whom I had commissioned to make a wooden rocking horse for Cherie, along with some puzzles and alphabet blocks. In addition, Sue had also found a talented seamstress who was always looking for additional money to help support her family while her husband fought overseas. With a little bartering, I managed to find some great wool and fleece which I then hired her to turn into a coat and some dresses for Cherie. Esme had even managed to find some adorable appliqués to be added to the orders. I couldn't wait to see her in her new clothes and when she saw her new toys, which were currently in hiding at Grammy and Grampa's.

I drank the last of my coffee in peace as the sun slowly lit the world outside the windows. Moments later, I heard the cries of my baby girl drifting down the stairwell from her room on the second floor. I smiled as I sat down the cup and quietly rushed up to her room. I swept in with a bright smile, bounding to her side and sweeping her into my arms.

"Happy Birthday, Sweet Cherie! You are one year old today! Do you think this will be a good day? Well, I do!"

She giggled as I spun her around before laying her on top of the changing area we set up on top of the dresser. I carefully dressed her for the day in the pretty pink party dress that Alice had made for her a few weeks before. Alice was running non-stop, so I could scarcely imagine when she found the time to make it for her, but it was beautiful none the less. I combed her hair carefully, pulling the sides up and affixing it with a pretty pink ribbon tied into a bow. On her feet I put the small shiny Mary Jane's that I had also bartered with a neighbor for. When I was done, I stood her up and smiled tearfully at how adorably perfect she looked.

I carried her downstairs, sitting her in her high chair and tying a towel around her neck to keep her pretty dress clean before giving her the oatmeal with bananas she had grown to love. Before she was done, we were joined by Rose and Alice who had taken the day off to celebrate with us.

All day long, I kept casting longing looks at the front door, but Edward never appeared. Eleven o'clock quickly arrived, bringing Esme and Carlisle loaded down with presents, Sue walking in right behind them with her family carrying the large chocolate cake she had prepared for our little girl.

We started off by sharing a large lunch before we put up streamers and balloons to decorate. Cherie stared in amazement at the colors and shapes as we worked, giggling and clapping occasionally when someone would put up something new. By one o'clock, the rest of the guests began to arrive. The first floor quickly became crowded as the pack boys who had kept us safe tumbled in, along with Marcus and his fiancée Sophie and a few others from work who adored little Cherie.

The Cullen charm poured out of Cherie as she toddled around to greet and smile at all of her guests, pointing to the prettily wrapped presents that they all had brought with them. We started with the cake, lighting a single candle and allowing her to blow it out. Several cameras and the moving picture camera caught everything, including the moment two seconds later when Cherie's eyes grew devious seconds before pushing both of her tiny hands into the middle of the cake and grabbing out two fistfuls of yummy chocolate goodness and bringing them to her mouth. Everyone laughed as we pulled the cake out of her reach and did our best to cut slices around her claimed territory to share with the rest of the guests.

By the time we were done with the cake, Cherie was a mess with chocolate smeared across her mouth, cheeks, and even her forehead. We washed her quickly before bringing her to the living room where the pile of gifts awaited her opening. The guests crowded around her as she opened the gifts one at a time with my help. With the rationing and tough times, I felt bad that anybody went through the trouble and expense of providing gifts of Cherie, but I knew they all loved her and just wanted to share that love with her.

Cherie opened the presents one at a time, beginning with the box from the pack boys where a tiny bracelet waited her with several tiny carved wooden charms hung from the small chain. I placed it around her wrist as she tugged at it excitedly. Sam proudly told us that they had more lengths of chain to lengthen the bracelet later as she grew. I thanked him profusely for such a thoughtful and time consuming gift.

Next Sue gave her an adorable doll that she had sewn herself with thick hair made of yarn that was extremely close to Cherie's own hair color and painted on green eyes. Upon the baby was a dress that I recognized as one of Cherie's when she was a newborn. Tears welled in my eyes as I thanked her while Cherie hugged the doll close squealing "Ree" which is what she called herself. Even the tiny little girl recognized this doll as being a representation of herself.

And so it continued around the room, one person after the other giving my little girl the most thoughtful gifts I could ever imagine. Once the rest of the gifts were opened, Carlisle brought in the packages from me. Cherie's eyes got as large as saucers when I tugged the Red wool coat with the black fuzzy trim. Three large back buttons held the front closed while two black lace appliqué Scotty Dogs with black lace leashes adored the front left flap along the bottom hem. As she took in the coat, she pointed to the dogs and let out a tiny bark with a smile before grabbing the coat and hugging it closely to her chest. Each little dress got similar responses. I was happy she enjoyed her gifts.

The toys were next and each was greeted with a happier squeal than the one before until the final gift was revealed. When Carlisle carried in the rocky horse with the big red bow around its neck, Cherie cheered and clapped her hands, toddling at the closest thing to a run she had done yet to it and trying to climb onto the saddle on her own.

Carlisle chuckled before lifting her onto the seat and bracing her and she beamed and giggled rocking back and forth. She stayed on that horse for the rest of the afternoon as everyone took turns playing with her on it….the pack boys even pretended she was chasing them on it as she rocked away.

The house cleared a few hours later as we worked together to clean up the mess left behind. I smiled thinking of how great the day had gone, but still feeling sad that Edward had missed it all. Cherie's eyes were beginning to droop a little earlier than usual thanks to her not getting her nap in during the day. I had just picked her up and started up the stairs when the phone rang.

I ran to pick up the receiver, smiling when I heard his voice after accepting the reversed international charges. "I was hoping I would make the party today, but it didn't work out. How did everything go?"

"It was great. She loved all of her presents, and dug into the cake the second she blew the candle out. We have lots of video to show you."

Edward sighed. "I'll be glad when I get to see them for myself instead of waiting to watch a film."

I smiled sadly. "I know, sweetheart. Do you want to speak to her? She's right here about to fall asleep in my arms."

"Yes, please," he whispered. I held the handset to my daughter's ear. As soon as she heard his voice, she sat up and smiled. They chatted for a few moments before I took the phone back.

"So where are you?"

He sighed again. "Stuck waiting for the next transport in London. I've been here three days waiting my turn. I'm on the top of the list now, so hopefully it won't be much longer."

"I hope so too. We miss you."

"I miss you too, baby. I promise we will be together very soon."

I held the handset tightly to my ear, knowing we had to end the call now, but not wanting to. With a few more sad goodbyes I finally hung up and carried my sleeping daughter to her room. She barely roused as I stripped her out of her dress before sliding her into her warm pajamas and laying her in her crib. I stood and stared down at her in the moonlight for a long time, stroking her soft hair away from her forehead. The year had gone so quickly and it was time that we would never get back again. I kissed my hand and placed it on her forehead before slowly shuffling out of the room, closing the door behind me.

I went back downstairs to join the girls in the living room. We sat with cups of bitter coffee and chatted for a long while about news we had all received. They were both so worried about Jasper and Emmett as they should be. The situation that occurred with Edward made their anxiety even more acute. After another hour in the room, chatting quietly, we each separated to go to our own rooms for the night.

I tried to go to sleep, but was having trouble so instead I sat up and pulled out the docket for the board meeting coming up in a few days. The first Wednesday of every month, we had our board meetings, which thankfully had gone much more smoothly once the threat of the Volturi brothers had been taken care of for good. Very rarely did we have any negatives to face in our meetings and from the look of the docket prepared for this month; the same would be true once more.

With a pleased smile, I slid the folder closed, shoving it back in my briefcase by the bed, and slid back between the sheets to fall into a quiet sleep. It wouldn't be much longer now. One overseas plane ride, a train trip cross country from New York, or DC, or wherever he was shipped to, and then he would be back in my arms and beside me in our bed. Part of me couldn't help but worry that things might be strange once he was actually back home. We had so little time together before he shipped out. We barely had a chance to get to know one another at all, and now we were going to have to learn again. I didn't doubt our love for one another, but I couldn't help but worry that living together might not be as easy as we believed.

I sighed, doing my best to push my worries away and finally found my rest while dreaming of Edward boarding a large plane, two wooden crutches supporting his weight as he shuffled up a long ramp and into the belly of the beast that would bring him back across the Atlantic. I prayed he would arrive safely before curling up with his pillow once more.


	24. The Foreign Familiar

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga. No copyright Infringement intended.**

_**Author's Note: For those of you who did not check out the teaser on my blog, you're in for a nice surprise. We have the return of a POV I had said would not come back, but I just had to when the idea came to mind. I hope you like it. This is your Monday post four days early, so I hope you enjoy. I have not written the next chapter yet, but hope to get it done before Monday after next.**_

_**Thanks to AgoodWITCH for her support and beta work. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**_

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**The Foreign Familiar**

**Not Bella's POV… :D, February 3, 1945**

I entered the building at a slow gait, getting surprised looks from everyone I encountered. After the security guard managed to close his mouth once more, he nodded toward the elevators without another word. I was sure that the biggest shock was my appearance. I was still wearing the same clothes that I began my journey in two days ago, travel grime still caked on my skin, a scraggly beard covering my chin and neck. I should have done the polite thing and gone home and changed and shaved before coming here to see her, but I simply couldn't wait. Today was the board meeting and so I knew as sure as I knew my own name that she was in the building still.

I stepped into the elevator leaning against the wall with my heavy cast stretching out in front of me, the thick heel resting on the floor of the elevator before me. I leaned heavily on the wooden crutches that the navy had supplied me in England and willed my heart to slow. The closer the elevator came to my destination, the more I regretted not taking an hour or so to clean up at home. I didn't want Sue or Mom to be the first to see me though…I wanted to see my wife before anybody else. I wanted to hold her in my arms, breathe in her sweet scent, and finally relax to know I was truly home in her arms.

The elevator stopped with a shudder and the doors opened to reveal the familiar entryway into the Executive floor. The clean light colors and the crisp scent in the air that used to feel so comforting and familiar now seemed foreign and confining. I braced myself on my crutches and began creeping my way onto the floor and down the hallway toward where I knew her office was now located.

I recognized the girl behind the desk who froze with the phone she was answering hanging midair between the desk and her ear, the client on the other end hearing nothing but a gasp and then silence. I nodded slowly before continuing past her, her hand remaining in limbo as her head tracked me across the floor. Once I was past her and all she could see was my back, I finally heard her greet whoever was waiting on the other end of the line.

It was the same all the way down the long hall. Each face, both familiar and new seemed to become a frozen statue when they caught sight of me. I turned down a hall and was almost to the short hallway that I knew would lead to the offices of Marcus and Bella. I had nearly reached the intersection when I froze in place, just as my employees had and watched what seemed like a beautiful dream pass by me.

A tiny little girl in a red wool coat with little black dogs on the front toddled past the intersection of the hallways with her hands out before her…her tiny bronze ringlets bouncing lightly with each unsteady step. My vision blurred and my heart felt as though it had literally crushed in my chest with the heavy, all encompassing love I felt for that tiny person that I was seeing in person for the very first time.

I stepped into the hallway so I could watch her continue on, not even looking when I heard a gasp behind me. The person stepped beside me, and from the smell of her perfume, I knew immediately it was my Mother.

"I would hug you, but I can't look away from her. She's so perfect, Mom."

I felt her wrap her arm around my waist as she took a long deep sighing breath. "It's so good to have you home, sweetheart. Go ahead…go to them."

Just then the tiny vision in red stopped at the next door on the right that was opened and squealed, "Mama!"

She threw her hands in the air and began a tumbling gait that was almost more like a controlled fall than an actual run. Then I heard the voice of my first angel, the love of my life fill the air as I hurriedly shuffled on my crutches down the hallway to the door.

"My little Cherie! Oh, Mama missed you sweet girl! Did you have fun today with Grammy Esme?"

I stepped around the corner to see the tiny girl clinging to her mother's chest, her arms wrapped around her shoulders, her head resting on her chest. My wife had her arms wrapped tightly around the precious beauty, her nose turned to rest in her curls, her eyes closed as she rocked them side to side. The emotions rolling through me were like a tidal wave so powerful they threatened to knock me to the floor.

I must have made some kind of sound because Bella opened her eyes and then froze, blinking slowly with her mouth hanging open.

"Edward? Are you really here?" She whispered so quietly it was barely audible.

I felt the sob rip from my chest more than heard it as I nodded hastily, leaning against the doorframe in hopes of keeping myself erect because my bones and muscles were no longer capable of doing the job.

Bella began to sob. "Oh, EDWARD!" She ran toward me, our daughter still clinging to her chest and threw one of her arms around my neck, burying her nose in my chest.

I cringed thinking how horrible I must look, much less smell, but Bella didn't seem to notice. She leaned back with teary eyes and ran her hand over my face and through my hair.

"Oh God…you're so thin, sweetheart…so very, very thin."

I nodded, my voice breaking as I spoke. "And you're beautiful…so very, very beautiful." I ran my hand through Cherie's hair as she looked up at me shyly from Bella's chest. "Both of you are nothing short of angelic."

The next few moments were a bit of an awkward blur. Bella tugged a chair over for me to sit in as she knelt in front of me, trying to get Cherie to talk to me. We talked about how she had talked to me on the phone, but my tiny angel girl was still too leery to allow me to hold her or for her to interact with me.

Bella looked at me with apologetic eyes. "She just needs time to get used to you being here in person. It will get better soon."

She rested an uneasy hand on my leg and I rested mine atop hers. So much time had passed and so much had changed for both of us, I once again wondered as I had countless times over the past two years, if we would still be in love as we were when we parted or if too much had happened to separate our lives. I knew I still loved her more than life itself, but if she was being awkward then maybe she didn't feel the same. Maybe she realized she never cared for me at all and didn't want to say anything when I was in danger.

I fought down the panic that often arose when I would remember some of the more dangerous flights or when I would think of losing my Bella and Cherie. My whole world would cease to have meaning and the thought of a life without meaning was more than I could bear. I struggled for a moment before getting a grasp on my fears, realizing that I didn't need to panic until Bella actually came forward with such a painful prospective request.

Mom came in a bit later to help us down to the car with Cherie with Marcus at her side. He immediately rushed to my side and hugged me. He was the brother I never had. I would be forever grateful for how he had stepped up and taken care of Bella and the company in my absence.

We took one of the company cars home, mom talking nonstop the entire way while Bella and I stole awkward glances over Cherie's head. I wanted more than anything to pull her into my side and keep her there forever, but I didn't want to push her too far or pressure her. I felt my jaw clenching with another wave of panic as I glanced out the window at the familiar things that still seemed so foreign. I had spent half my life in this city, but after all I had seen, and all I had done, I no longer felt like it was where I belonged. I didn't know where I belonged anymore, except at Bella's side, and yet I wasn't entirely sure she still wanted me there.

I was about to lose the battle with my anxiety when I felt her small hand reach across the seat back and rest on my neck, her slender fingers combing lightly through the hair at the nape of my neck. The instant our skin touched, the anxiety melted from my bones and pooled to my feet, disappearing through the floorboard to mix with the snow and ice on the roads below us. Home. She was home. She was my everything.

We pulled in front of my house on Lake Shore Drive and I sighed looking at the huge home that was once my pride and joy, but was now nothing more than a house. My pride and joys were sitting next to me on the seat. With a little help, we all emerged from the car. Esme carried Cherie while Bella walked by me carefully up to the stoop and up the stairs to the front door.

Esme unlocked it and stepped through, Bella and I following her through the ornate portal into the overly lavish entryway. Sue stepped out of the kitchen across the way, wiping her hands on her apron and talking about something else, but froze mid step and mid sentence when her eyes landed on me. A moment later she seemed to melt and continue forward as if nothing had happened, except now with a new purpose as she walked directly to me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Thank the Good Lord in Heaven that you are home. I'm so glad you are safe, young man. Now let's go get you sitting down and I'll bring you a drink and make you some lunch."

I chuckled as Sue directed me to sit in my favorite chair in the living room. Not much had changed except for the addition of little toys spread on the floor near a wooden toy chest in the corner. I smiled as I saw the rocking horse Bella told me all about ordering to be crafted for her by Sue's neighbor to give Cherie for her birthday. It killed me that I had missed her birthday.

Everyone settled in the living room and another awkward silence filled the air. Bella rested her hand on my good knee lightly, glancing up at me shyly through her eyelashes. After Mom removed her coat, Cherie wiggled out of her lap and crossed the room to sit on Bella's wrapping her arms around her waist and staring up at me through wide green eyes full of questions that she couldn't verbalize. I smiled down at her, trying not to let the tears I felt stinging in the corners of my eyes well and fall.

Bella caressed Cherie's hair while caressing my knee in the same soothing rhythm. Cherie watched her hand closely as it hinted at an intimate affection she felt for the both of us. After another quiet moment, I remembered I had a gift for her as well. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the small brown paper sack that held her gift. I leaned forward holding it out to her with a smile.

"Happy Birthday, my little one. Daddy's sorry he couldn't be here for this last year and your party, but I thought about you ever day and I got this for you in England before I left."

She looked at the brown paper as if it would bite her. Bella chuckled and reached up to take it. She rested it on her lap as she opened the top and reached inside pulling out the tiny silver necklace with the pink ballet shoe charm adorned with pink stones hanging from the end.

"Look at the present Daddy bought you, Cherie. Isn't it pretty?"

Cherie examined it for a long moment before sitting up and reaching out to touch it with her finger. When she made contact it caused the charm and chain to swing like a pendulum, causing the silver and pink jewels to catch the light and sparkle. Cherie giggled the most beautiful little tone ever created as she tried to catch the swinging charm with her chubby little hand. After several attempts she caught it and brought it to her face to cuddle it as if it were a soft stuffed animal.

Bella laughed and asked her if she could put it on her. It was way too big for her now, but I hoped that when she got older she might be able to wear it. Bella didn't even have to unhook the latch in order to place in on her; instead simply sliding it over her little head and making it rest on her stomach, just above her belly button. Cherie beamed down at it, pushing her little rounded tummy out as far as she could to admire the charm against her body. We all laughed as she looked right at Bella pointing at the charm as she stared babbling a million miles a minute in a language all her own.

After a few minutes and with a great deal of resistance, Bella finally removed the necklace from Cherie's neck. Promising to hang it in her bedroom where she could see it from her crib. That was when I realized that I really didn't know my house at all anymore. Now it had Bella's clothes mixed with mine in my closet, her pictures mixing with mine on my shelves, and a room now redecorated expressly for our little girl. I felt the need to explore, but my exhaustion after the last few days was too great to try to mount the steps anytime soon.

Sue brought in a heaping plate full of spaghetti, vegetables, and bread, sitting it on my lap in the living room, something she would never normally allow. I laughed as she eyed me with a warning that it was a onetime event before returning to the kitchen. Cherie had been playing in the corner with her toys until the smell of food hit her nose and she came over to check out what I had.

Both Bella and Esme laughed as she sniffed around like a bloodhound on the hunt. "Sorry Edward, she's a bit of a food thief. She's charmed the food right out of many a hand in her short little life. It appears your supper is next."

My heart melted as she toddled over to my side, grasping the chair as she tipped up on her toes to see over the rim of the plate. She smiled looking up at me with those big green eyes that made my heart ache. Bella had not been exaggerating when she said she inherited the Cullen charm.

"Would you like a bite, my little sweetheart?"

She blinked silently before pointing and saying "Yumm."

I laughed before asking what she could have from my plate. I picked up a small bit of noodle with some sauce on it and reached down to her mouth. She stared at it a moment, as if she was wondering if she should trust it before opening her mouth and leaning forward to take it from my hand. I felt horrible when my brain instantly correlated it to when I had used dog treats to tame my Grandfather's dog when I was little. I guess food is the way to the heart of men, dogs, and small children as well.

After a few more tentative bites, I was amazed when she started climbing into my lap. It wasn't easy with my cast, but with a little help, she was soon sitting in the crook of my arm smiling at me while saying "Yumm."

I could have cried in that moment, but I didn't want to scare her away, so I kept the rumbling emotions at bay once more. She shared a little of everything from my plate, even feeding me bites of my bread from time to time as well, and for the first time I felt like maybe we would be okay. Maybe she and I would find a way to bridge the distance between strangers to father/daughter.

Once her little tummy was full, she began to yawn and relax on my lap. The feeling of her trust, the added weight of her tiny body as she let go, made me feel like I could fly without the use of a plane. She stayed for a long while before Mom suggested she clean her up and lay her down for her nap. She told us that she would spend the rest of the day keeping an eye on her if Bella and I wanted to lock ourselves away and spend some alone time together. I hated the idea of being away from my daughter who I'd only just met, but I needed to reconnect with my wife most desperately. I looked to Bella who nodded slowly before glancing up at my Mom.

"Esme, that would be incredibly helpful. Thank you."

Mom nodded with a smile before a look of realization crossed her face. "How about if I packed up her things and brought her to spend the night at our place tonight? We can bring her back first thing in the morning and we can all have a welcome home breakfast right here. What do you think?"

I smiled brightly. "Breakfast sounds like heaven, but I'm not sure about the overnight. I don't want her to feel like I'm kicking her out or anything."

Bella smiled, rubbing my leg soothingly. "She stays with Carlisle and Esme every other weekend when Carlisle is not on call. She's used to staying with Grammy and Grampa. She'll be fine."

I chuckled, running my hand through my hair. "What if I'm not? I've only just seen her today. I don't want to be away from either one of you."

Bella smiled, getting up to her knees to cup my face in her palm. "Give us one night, sweetheart. She'll just be a few blocks away. If you miss her too much, they can bring her home or we can go stay there. It'll be fine, honey."

I blew out a long breath before nodding. "Thanks Mom. We really appreciate it."

She nodded happily, a sparkle returning to her eyes that had been missing so far. "More than happy to, son. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

She disappeared up the stairs with Sue at her side while Bella leaned over me to wrap her body around my waist, nuzzling her nose into my smelly shirt. Her presence calmed me so much more than anything else could. I soon realized that my shirt was getting wet. I tipped Bella's face up to see rivers of tears running from her closed eyelids.

"Oh baby, please don't cry. I'm home now."

She sobbed harder. "I was so scared Edward. I've spent that last two years afraid that the only man I ever loved would die over there. Now that you're here, I'm so relieved and yet so terrified that you won't want me anymore. I'm not the same woman I was when you left. I have changed so much. What if you don't find me attractive anymore? I gave birth. I'm not the same anymore. My hips are wider and my breasts are kind of saggy from breast feeding, and…"

She couldn't say anymore because I had claimed her lips with my own, desperate to show her that I could never, ever not love her. She was always beautiful to me and she always will be, no matter what changes on the outside, I would always love her for the strong, intelligent wonderful woman that she was.

"I love you so much, Bella. I have since the first second you saw me and I always will. Never ever forget that."

She blinked at me, pain on her face. "B…but you've been so distant since you got home. You just…seem so removed from me. I…I thought."

I cursed loudly making her jump as the tears swamped my ducts in a tidal wave, sending emasculating rivers down my own cheeks. "NEVER! I was feeling strange, being back here. Everything is so foreign to me now. You are the only home I have now, Bella. You are the only thing that feels right anymore."

Bella sobbed, but behind the tears there was a relieved smile as she constricted her arms around my waist and sobbed into my chest. I wrapped her in my arms and kissed the top of her head. We were going to be okay. I had no doubt now. There would be a transition, but the love was there, and as long as we had that, we could get through anything.

After a long stretch of time, I heard the ladies coming down the stairs, arms loaded with bags and items for Cherie's overnight stay. Bella broke away and went to stand, helping me up before guiding me to the entryway where the ladies were waiting. Bella smiled holding her hands out to Cherie, who reached for her and melted against her chest. Bella kissed Cherie's head, whispering oaths of love to her and promises to see her first thing the next morning. When she was done, she wrapped one arm around me and tugged me toward them. I wrapped one arm around Bella's shoulder while gently rubbing my hand up and down my daughter's back. To my great joy, Cherie lifted her head and smiled, reaching a hand out to rub my neck. After a far too brief family hug, Mom took Cherie again and with final goodbyes left us alone in the house.

Bella turned and wrapped her arms around me, tipping up to kiss me gently on the lips. I returned the kiss, savoring the feeling of her actually being with me once more. The dreams did not even come close to the reality of my bride. After we hugged for a long time, I finally leaned back with a chuckle.

"I don't know how you can stand to hug me, love. I must smell horrible. I haven't showered or changed clothes in several days."

She shook her head with a small smile. "You smell like you, only stronger than usual…and I don't mind a bit. I missed this smell. You must be tired though and would probably love to get cleaned up. Why don't we get you upstairs and I can help you take a bath."

I felt like a real jerk when the second she mentioned giving me a bath my arousal came to life uncomfortably within the confines of my trousers. I willed myself to behave, realizing that we needed to get used to one another again. I would never want to pressure her into bed too quickly. Besides, my physical ailment would keep me from being as active a participant as I would like.

I sighed, closing my eyes as I relished the feel of her warmth next to me…another aspect that the dreams could never replicate. "That sounds like heaven, love."

It seemed to take forever to hobble up the stairs; I was more worried about hurting Bella as she insisted on steadying me as we ascended. When we reached the floor that our bedroom was on, I was too exhausted to do much besides sleep.

We shuffled toward our bedroom when I caught sight of cheerful color through the open door of the room next to ours. I shuffled past our door to stand in the doorway, staring at the beautiful little room Bella and the girls had arranged for our baby. I imagined Bella sitting in the rocking chair nursing our tiny baby girl as she looked out of the window and thought of me. I could see the nights when she walked the floors with her while she was sick and the space where I should have been right at her side and yet wasn't. It hurt more than any broken leg ever could to know what I had missed that could never be replaced.

I wiped at an errant tear as I felt her tiny warm arms wrap around my waist, her head peeking out beside my arm. "Come on, Mr. Cullen. It's time we really curl up together in bed."

We shuffled into the bedroom and closed the door behind us. As soon as I reached the bed, I collapsed on top of it, feeling the full weight of the past few days weighing on my body. Bella reached the bed and giggled.

"I think you're too tired for a bath just now, Mr. Cullen. Let's get you out of these clothes and take a nap. Maybe you'll be able to get up and around a bit more in a few hours."

I smiled up at her, feeling my body respond to the promises of later, and yet feeling the exhaustion claim all other impulses. "Sounds like a plan, Mrs. Cullen. In the meantime, I can't wait to just hold you in my arms for real as we both sleep."

She smiled at me, her hair glowing all around her thanks to the light coming in through our bedroom window. In that moment, she was my angel, in the flesh, my light, my life, my everything.

"I love you so much," I mumbled as she stripped my shirt away, my shoe, pants, and sock already discarded to the floor.

She chuckled as she rolled me onto "my side" of the bed and whispered in my ear. "I love you too, my wonderful husband."

I smiled reaching up to pull her next to me from where I lay on my stomach, resting my arm heavily on her waist. She cuddled up to my side fully clothed and sighed. Seconds later I was in a peaceful sleep, so happy to finally truly be home.

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_**Author's Note: I know, I know. You were hoping for the lemon meringue and I didn't provide, but it just didn't feel right in this chapter. I do promise however, that next chapter will start with some tangy lemonade. Will that promise be enough for now? I sure hope so because it's too late to turn back now :)**_


	25. A Clean Start

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga. No Copyright infringement is intended.

_**Author's Note: So…I'm sitting here in a hotel room in Chicago having just written the last official chapter for Flyboy and sending it off to my beta. This is when I realized….if I'm done, then why don't I go ahead and give you guys the next chapter tonight and then give you 26 and the Epi next week? No reason to hold back now…especially when I'm chilling alone in a room while my kids are sleeping and my hubby his hanging out with his cousin at his place. What better to cheer me up than a few reviews? So here you go guys, the next to last official Flyboy chapter before the epi. I hope you like it! Also preview for 26 up on my blog acullenwannabe dot blogspot dot com**_

_**Also thanks to my girl AgoodWITCH for getting this back to me tonight so I could share :)**_

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**A Clean Start**

I laid as still as I could beside Edward, relishing in the smells and sounds of his body sleeping soundly at my side. I ran my hand soothingly up and down his arm as I watched the shadows created by the light shining in from the window play across his features in his sleep. Occasionally he would frown or sigh, but for the most part his sleep was quite restful.

We lay together like that for just over four hours when I heard his breathing change and watched as his eyes slowly opened, deliberate blinks chasing the sleep away as he struggled to keep his eyes open so he could look at me. The expression bubbling behind his eyes gave the impression that he was waiting for me to disappear before his eyes like a mirage in the desert. I was pleased to know that he would not be facing that disappointment at least.

His hand lifted and moved shakily between us until it made contact with my cheek. With a whooshing breath, he leaned in resting his forehead against mine. "It was all real."

I chuckled running my hand up and around his neck to nestle in the soft hairs at the nape. "Yes, my sweetheart. It's real. You're really home and I'm really here with you. I'm not going anywhere, baby, so just relax and go back to sleep."

He shook his head slowly, that smirk I knew and loved creeping across his face. "Not on your life, baby. I've already missed far too many hours, days, weeks, and even years. I just got," he turned to look at the ticking clock beside the bed, "four hours of more restful sleep than I have gotten in the past two years. I'm more than ready to wake up and enjoy getting to know my wife better."

He cuddled closer, nuzzling my neck with his nose and sighing contentedly. He shifted slightly closer before pausing. He lifted his head and sniffed before crinkling his nose in disgust.

"Ugh. I completely forgot that I am in desperate need of a bath. Why don't you go relax and maybe look into finding goodies to make a sandwich or something while I go take a bath and shave? I'll be down in a minute."

I looked at him a few seconds as he looked back in confusion. When I smirked at him he seemed completely lost and also a little excited. "I have another idea. How about I help you get cleaned up since it can't be easy to do while having that full leg cast on, and then we'll think about food once you're feeling human again?"

He looked slightly disappointed for a moment as he stared down at his cast with annoyance before he looked back at me with a smile. He shifted slightly on his side of the bed and I felt myself chuckle knowing his head had gotten past his frustration at his current disability to the idea of me helping him bathe. His thought processes were not too far from my own. I felt awkward around him, conscious of my own changed form. I was hoping that if I could help him clean up, it would serve to slowly help the both of us adjust to physical intimacy again.

With assistance, Edward rose from the bed and walked with me to our bathroom. I helped him slip out of his pants, leaving him in his boxers, before helping him sit on the lid of the toilet. He shifted sheepishly and I instantly felt bad for the emasculation he must have been feeling at that moment. With any luck, I could help ease that problem quite soon.

I turned my back to him, filling the sink with warm water and grabbing a wash cloth from the vanity beneath. I reached into the tub stall to pull out a bar of soap and the shampoo. When the sink was full, I shut off the taps and turned back to Edward with a smile when I realized he had been watching my every move.

I looked at him a few seconds before I reached behind me to unbutton my pencil skirt, pushing it off of my hips to fall at my feet. I almost chuckled at the surprised expression on Edward's face.

"Well, it's only fair, sweetheart. Besides, it would be nearly impossible to maneuver around to take care of you with that tight skirt on."

I winked as I moved to take the wash cloth, wringing out the water and rubbing the bar of soap across the cloth. Once the wash cloth was ready, I moved closer, forced to straddle his casted leg in order to get close enough to wash his face and neck.

I smiled as Edward closed his eyes and hummed appreciatively as I gently scrubbed away the dirt of his travels the night before. I rinsed the cloth and swiped the skin I had just cleansed again to remove the soap.

I tossed the cloth back into the sink and I moved to lift his arms, undoing the clasps on the cuffs of his long sleeve army issue uniform shirt. Once they were released, I moved up to his collar, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. I watched as his chest was slowly revealed, looking up occasionally to see him gazing at me with burning eyes that made my stomach twitch with delicious memories of our first week as husband and wife.

My mouth grew dry as I reached the bottom of the shirt, my hand brushing across the physical manifestation of the desire in his clear green eyes. I couldn't help the blush that bloomed as my heart began to pound. It was a definite affirmation that in spite of the changes in me, he still found me appealing.

I released the last of the buttons, letting my hands caress the hard ripples of his abs that stood amongst his ribs, no other cushioning to be found. It was quite scary how thin he had become since he had left New York. He hummed as I soothed my hands up his chest and onto his shoulders before sliding up to his newly refreshed neck and massaging the tense muscles lovingly.

With a shy smile, I slowly leaned in to kiss his lips, which immediately parted at my touch, as I slid my hands over his shoulders and down his arms to slid the shirt from his body. As I did so, Edward moaned into my mouth, his hands moving up to grasp my hips and pull my body flush with his own. I whimpered as he held me close, our bodies aligning instinctively.

After several minutes of passionate kissing, we broke apart panting. I smirked at him as I tried to regain my breath. "Now, now Mr. Cullen. We're never going to get you clean if we keep distracting ourselves like that."

His eyes sparkled in a way that matched the humor and freedom I was feeling from our exchange. Little by little we were remembering what we shared together in a more tangible, physical sense. He reached forward and grasped the hem of my own button up blouse that I had worn to the office that morning with a devious expression.

"It's about to get even more distracting, Mrs. Cullen, since I do believe you said something about it being only fair. If I'm in nothing but my underwear, then so should you be."

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding behind my breast as he lifted my right hand from his shoulder where it was braced, kissing the back before releasing the tiny pearl button at the cuff. He did the same with the left before sliding his hands up my arms to grasp at the collar of my shirt. With deft skill, he quickly released the row of tiny white pearls that held the front of the shirt in place, groaning as the skin of my torso, hidden only by my brazier, was exposed.

He let his fingers dance across my skin, up and down the curve of my waist and across the skin of my abdomen where a few telltale stretch marks remained as a permanent reminder of my daughter's stay within my body. I blushed, wishing I could die from embarrassment until I heard him grumble, moving one hand to tip my face back to his.

"Oh no you don't, Bella. These are beautiful to me because they mean that you gave me our little Cherie. Honestly, I can already say that I love your new curves."

I blushed again as his hands drifted around once more up my ribs, brushing the underside of my slightly fuller breasts before reaching up to my shoulders and sliding my shirt off my frame to join his on the floor. Another groan left his body as he pulled me flush with him once more, layering a series of kisses across my neck, shoulder, and collarbone before drifting to do the same on the other side.

I tossed my head back and whimpered as the sensations rolled through my body again. My body arched in reaction when his hands began to caress my breasts while his lips continued to caress my shoulders, bringing our bodies into full contact causing us both to groan as my body bucked against his arousal now standing at full mast.

I froze and looked at him as he looked at me in a similar manner. Our bodies were more than ready, but we still worried that the other wasn't emotionally ready for what was certain to come next. Edward smiled sadly, raising his hand to brush my cheek lovingly before pulling me in for another gentle kiss.

"We better get back on track or we will never get me cleaned up so we can get back in bed and talk some more," he said with a sigh.

I nodded, turning back to grab the washcloth from the now cooling water. I slicked up the cloth before bringing it to his chest, moving in slow circles to wash away the dirt of his travel. With each swipe, I could feel my body reacting more and more to his close proximity. Edward shifted several times, trying to relieve his own discomforts as my hand drifted further down toward his groin. I stopped just before I reached it, rinsing the cloth and repeating the process to remove the soap residue. I continued the process with his arms and back before kneeling before him to wash his toes that stuck out of the end of his casted leg before moving to his good leg.

The closer my hand got to the top of Edward's thigh, the more labored both of our breathing became. I rinsed away the soap before preparing the cloth again and turning toward him with a determined expression. Without a word, I shakily reached behind me to unclasp my bra, letting it drop to the floor before I nodded toward his boxers. I felt uncomfortable as he stared at me for a long time, his eyes appearing glazed and distracted. A slow smile spread across his lips before she shook his head, his eyes twinkling.

"If I'm going to be completely naked, then so shall you."

I felt my face heat, before I reluctantly acquiesced. "Okay, but let's take care of yours first."

He nodded, raising his hips as I grasped the waistband, pulling it down to free his flesh completely from his travel clothes. The second the cloth slid to his lower thigh, his extremely prominent erection bounced toward me, taking me off guard as time had dimmed my memory ever so slightly of exactly how large he truly was. A flood of memories took over as I remembered the first time I encountered it and how scared I was. I was no longer afraid of it per se. I just hoped I hadn't forgotten everything I had learned during that glorious week at the Waldorf.

Once I had tugged the material free from his body, I reached for the cloth only to be greeted by Edward's clucking tongue. "Oh no, Mrs. Cullen. A deal is a deal."

I blushed again with a nod as I reached for the waistband of my panties. I didn't make it to them before I was stopped by Edward who leaned forward, licking his lips. "No, please let me." I could feel my body reacting, my panties growing damp from its response.

He nuzzled my core as he bent at the waist to push my panties as far as he could, making me gasp. He hummed in appreciation as he sat back up, his hands drifting over my thighs and hips to rest on my waist with his ascent. "My memory does not do you justice, love. I can't wait to experience that part of you again."

I reached out for the cloth, beginning with the crease of his right hip and washed across the thin joint before drifting to do the same on the other side. Once the rest of the flesh was clean, I finally moved the cloth to his manhood, using the pressure I remembered him enjoying as I diligently washed his shaft. He yelled out, tossing his head back to expose the straining sinews of his muscles. The sight was beautiful as he panted my name while I rhythmically washed him far more thoroughly than was entirely necessary.

I continued as he bucked and panted until he reached his peak. His eyes simmered for me as he watched me use the cloth to wash away the evidence before rinsing it and using it to wash away the soap residue as well. When I was done, I was tugged to straddle him where he sat, our bodies no longer separated by cloth felt glorious as they met in the place where we most wanted them to.

Edward hissed as I moaned tossing my head back. "Not here," he panted as he instinctually ground my warmth against his reawakening arousal.

"Are you sure that you are ready for that at all, sweetheart?" I asked timidly. I didn't want him to do anything he wasn't sure about.

His eyes bore into me as they stared straight into my soul. "Never, ever doubt that, Isabella Marie Cullen. Not a day has gone by that I haven't wanted you in every way and I doubt that day will ever come. Of course I want that, the question is are you ready?"

I sighed as a tear trickled over my cheek. "Of course I am. I have missed you so much, Edward."

I didn't get a chance to say anything else as his mouth claimed mine. With a strength and ability that shocked me, he maneuvered me back slightly without breaking the kiss and stood before me, shuffling us toward the bed. Our hands were voracious as we shuffled together across the room.

Just before we reached the bed, he turned us so that he fell onto the bed first, bringing me on top of him. In that moment, it seemed as though everything fell into place. It was as if not a single day had passed as our bodies began to play one another in the ways that only a husband and wife know how to manipulate the other. Sighs and gasps filled the air before I found myself mumbling incoherently as I knelt above Edward's face while he drank excitedly of my juices. The force of my climaxes, and there were several provided by his mouth and fingers alone, were enough to make me weak.

I was on the verge of collapse when my husband gently slid me back down his body and partook of my lips in the same moment that our cores found one another and slid into perfect unity without any direction or assistance. We moaned into one another's mouths as the sense of peace and completion beat out all other sensations or emotions. We were now completely home where we belonged.

Our love poured through our kisses as we moved slowly, savoring every second of the completion we felt. We whispered oaths of love and desire as we kissed and touched, gazing into one another's eyes any time that we weren't joined at the lips. As the emotions grew more and more great, our movements grew more fast and forceful until with a grunt and a squeal we found our climax together.

I collapsed upon his chest, as we became a sweaty pile of flesh and limbs intermingled with one very uncomfortable plaster cast. Neither of us bothered to move, and thus when I awoke the next morning, I was still laying above him, my hips aching from the strange position, straddling him throughout the course of the night.

I tried not to wake him as I attempted to climb off of him to go use the restroom, but before I could shift more than an inch, his arms were grasped tightly around my waist, holding me to him.

"Where exactly do you think you are going, Mrs. Cullen?"

I chuckled. "To answer nature's call. Besides, everyone will be here soon for breakfast. We need to get up and get cleaned and dressed for the day."

Edward chuckled, the old familiar twinkle in his eyes. "Awe, come on. They know we're pretty much newlyweds for all the time we spent together before I had to leave. They'll forgive us if we're a bit late."

I chuckled shaking my head as I reached for his ribs to tickle him in order to escape. "Sorry love, but we've got a little girl to see too. You don't want to keep your little Cherie waiting do you?"

Nothing more needed said. In an instant, he was out of the bed and shuffling toward the bathroom to get ready by my side. I sighed happily that he was finally home to share the mundane day to day events with me. I would trade most any treasure in the world besides my daughter in order to have him by my side as we brushed our teeth from that point on.

The crowd was already assembled around the dining room table when we shuffled in. Everyone cheered and ran to hug Edward as we came in. Yesterday he had more or less had tunnel vision focused on me and Cherie, but now he was able to focus on the others around us as well. After his hugs, his mother and father holding on the longest, he shuffled over to the open seat next to our daughter, kissing the top of her head before slipping in next to her.

I smiled as I watched Cherie look up at him shyly through her lashes before grabbing a piece of banana off of her tray and offering it to him. My heart warmed as I saw the love in his eyes as he chuckled and leaned in, opening his mouth to accept her offering as she had done from him the day before. Cherie giggled and reached for another to hand him when he laughed and told her that she should eat that piece.

Breakfast fell into a comfortable pace after that as everyone took turns telling Edward all about what he missed while he was gone. He smiled and listened attentively, sucking up all the information he could while reaching over to help Cherie or hand her something when it was out of reach. It was amazing to me how easily he fell into the father role with her.

Then the topic of conversation turned to me and I ducked my head and focused on my pancakes, my face glowing fire engine red.

"You should have seen her, Edward! You would have been so proud. She walked in there like she owned the place, which essentially she did, and she didn't bat an eye. In one foul swoop, she dethroned Aro, shamed the entire room, and returned me to the position you left me in. It was amazing. You definitely know how to pick your women, Edward. Now you just have to teach me how to find a woman as smart, ballsy, and beautiful as Bella."

I glanced up through my lashes to see Edward staring at me with the most wondrous look on his face. It was almost like he was seeing me for the first time which made me blush even deeper. I smiled before hiding in my plate again, only to find a few seconds later that I was being pulled from my chair by a warm hand. I turned in surprise to find Edward standing behind me seconds before he captured my lips in a searing kiss and enveloped me in his strong arms.

"I love you so much, Bella. Truly, I do. You are beyond a doubt the most amazing woman I have ever known. You have given me everything I could ever need. Thank you for giving me the honor of calling myself your husband."

I gaped, dumbfounded and at a total loss for words. Finally I managed to squeak out an "I love you too."

The group dispersed not long after that, leaving Edward and I more or less alone with Cherie. Sue made some food for us to warm for lunch and dinner before disappearing as well to leave us all alone. Slowly Cherie grew more and more comfortable around Edward who somehow managed to settle onto the floor so he could play with her.

When it drew close to her nap time, Cherie came over with a book and sat pointedly down on Edward's good leg, pushing the book into his face. He laughed before picking it up and beginning to read the words on the page before talking about the pictures. Cherie would giggle when he would try to do the voices of the characters; failing pretty miserably, I might add. I watched in joy from across the room as he fumbled through the whole thing, and yet Cherie loved it much more than when we usually read. As soon as it was done, she toddled off bringing a new book. Three books later, her eyes were beginning to droop as she rested her head on her father's arm. I watched as he sighed, his eyes drifting to her face often as she relaxed more and more in his embrace until eventually, she fell asleep.

I offered to take her to lay her down, but he refused. He sat on the floor for a full hour doing nothing but watching her sleep in his arms. I knew his body had to be protesting spending so long on the hard wood floor, not to mention while in a cast, but he never complained and never even tried to shift. He just stared lovingly down at the sweet little features of our daughter's face, humming a tune occasionally, and reaching up to brush soft locks of her hair away from her face or stroke her cheek with the back of his finger.

When Cherie woke up, her eyes blinked open slowly. She frowned for a moment as if confused before she yawned and stretched with a smile. "Dada," she whispered sweetly. Edward and I gasped in union. I saw the tears streaming down his cheeks only seconds before my own vision blurred.

With that one tiny word, our whole world fell into place. Our family was now complete with everyone having their own role, and for the first time in two years, I no longer feared for us in any way.


	26. It All Comes Together

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Twilight Saga. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**Author's Note: We got back from Chicago yesterday. We had a great trip, adjusting plans for the weather and hitting Shedd's Aquarium instead. When we were driving back to the place we were staying in the NW suburbs, I actually got to see the building I chose for Cullen Steel HQ when we drove past it. My hubby was laughing because I got all excited. I know…it's sad, but I thought it was only fitting when I had just written this chapter a couple of nights before. Anyway, it was cool. We had a great trip and now that I'm home, I'm posting this chapter today and the Epi on Thursday if I have time (It's my son's ACTUAL birthday, so we're going to go have some fun) then I will post first thing Friday. Hope you enjoy!**_

_**Thanks to my beta pal, AgoodWITCH for getting these back to me so quickly, as always. She's been such a great support through this whole story. Thank you for all of the great reviews and support yourselves. Thanks to you guys, this was my third story to ever break one thousand reviews. It means more than you can know!**_

_**Teaser for the epi will be up on my blog acullenwannabe dot blogspot dot com.**_

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**It All Comes Together**

It was awkward for the first few weeks, but soon we fell into a consistent pattern. Edward put every ounce of energy he had that wasn't focused on Cherie and I into getting better, letting Marcus continue the fantastic job he was doing running the company until Edward was completely healed and ready to take on the business front once more. He had already confided in me that he planned on keeping Marcus on as CFO, making the two of them essentially run the company as partners. As Edward said, it was the least he could do to repay Marcus for how hard he had worked while Edward was away.

Weeks turned into months as we kept a close eye on what was happening on the European Front. It was nerve wracking knowing that the country's focus was split between two opposite sides of the globe, but with Emmett and Jasper still in peril on that front, we watched for every bit of news with baited breath.

The fear and concern melted into pure joy on May 8th, 1945 when the official announcement came through. They were calling it VE day, the day the Allies proclaimed Victory in Europe. Hitler had been backed into a corner and the war on that side of the globe was over. Alice, Rose, and I held one another as we wept in relief. With any luck the boys would soon be coming home.

Our joy was only shortly lived when whispers came through the channels that the troops, and in particular the pilots might be moved to the Pacific Front to bolster the offensive against Japan. The girls were living in terror, as the unbearably long wait for letters had gotten even longer. No word for weeks and weeks had them on the verge of hysteria when one day a knock came at the front door of the Lake Shore house. It was a Saturday and Edward had taken Cherie to his parents place to visit for the day while I spent some time trying to cheer my friends. Alice and Rose were upstairs when I rushed to open the door and froze with my mouth hanging open.

A slow smile spread across my face as I yelled out from the doorway. "Alice and Rosalie, I think you need to get down here RIGHT NOW!"

I beamed at the boys with a smirk and wink. They both seemed terrified as they clutched their hats in their hands, their bodies taking up the entirety of our front porch. I could hear the footsteps coming down as the girls grumbled.

"What on earth are you yelling about down here B…" Rosalie halted mid sentence and froze at the base of the stairs as she stared at the two men standing on the front stoop. I stepped further out of the way only seconds before my two best friends took a running leap at their men, hanging from their necks like monkeys as they screamed and cried.

I wept quietly as I watched the exchange before walking up the stairs to my room to grab my pocketbook and my shoes. When I came back, they had moved to the living room, both girls draped across their men, whispering quietly. I stepped into the doorway with a happy smile.

"I'm just going to walk down to Esme and Carlisle's to visit with Edward and Cherie and let him know you boys are home. Uhm…we won't come home until around Cherie's bedtime at seven, so make yourselves at home."

I could feel the tingle in my tomato red cheeks, the boys having matching shades while my girls just smiled appreciatively. Without another word, I turned and walked out the front door to stroll toward my husband's parents' home in the bright June sunshine. When I approached the building, I saw everyone sitting outside. I could hear Cherie's laugh even over the noise of the streets around us.

I stood a few dozen feet away smiling as I watched Edward and Cherie laughing and playing together, Edward spinning in crazy circles as Cherie ran around him, her curls bouncing with each step. Finally, Edward made a big production of catching her before sweeping her into his arms to kiss her cheek sweetly. I sighed as my daughter curled up into her father's chest, a bright smile shining from her face.

It only last a few seconds before Cherie saw me and squealed reaching in my direction chanting 'Mama!' Edward turned slowly, smiling when he caught sight of me. I rushed to his side and hugged him, rubbing Cherie's back gently.

"What are you doing here? I thought this was a girls' afternoon."

I beamed up at him and kissed his chin. "It was, but then when two flyboys back from Europe appeared on our doorstep, plans changed pretty drastically. I, uh, told them we would keep ourselves scarce until Cherie's bedtime at seven."

Edward sucked in a long steadying breath before mumbling a quiet prayer and kissing my forehead. Finally everyone in our little circle of influence was home and safe.

It was two days later before the two couples emerged from their rooms again and Edward was able to greet his best friends and brothers in arms. They shared a hearty breakfast laughing and joking, every one of them looking and sounding more free than they had in years. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

Once they had spent a decent amount of time having fun, Edward leaned forward resting his chin on the heel of his hand. "Okay gentlemen. Down to business. Have you decided where you are going to live now that you're back? I know when we met up two and a half years ago, you both planned to head back to your hometowns. Has that changed or do you still plan to do that?"

Both men flushed as they rubbed the back of their necks anxiously. "Well, I can't take my Rosie away from her life with Cullen Steel now. She's done so much and is so happy with her career. I can't steal that from her, so I guess we're going to be settling around here."

Edward smiled and nodded. I glanced behind me at Rose who was working alongside Alice and Sue to wash dishes while I wrangled Cherie. If she were a light bulb, she would be burning brighter than the one's above Wrigley Field. I was happy for her.

A few seconds later, Jasper's southern drawl responded in a similar fashion as Alice squealed a little and ran to hop onto his lap, kissing his cheeks and thanking him. Jasper laughed good naturedly as he beamed down at his fiancée. He would move heaven and Earth to make Alice as happy as he just had, and he would do it again in a heartbeat in order to see that smile on her face…you could just tell.

Edward smiled, sitting back with crossed arms and an amused expression on his face. "Well, gentlemen, unless you have other employment options lined up, I would sincerely like you to consider coming and working for me. I could use a discerning mind like Jasper's to help weed out those who don't have Cullen Steel's best interests at heart, and I can't think of a better marketing mind than Emmett's. What do you say, guys? You want to work with us in corporate HQ?"

Both guys stared in surprise before the swallowed deeply. "Yes! Absolutely!" both said almost completely in sync. We all laughed before the boys settled in hashing out details as far as salary and expectations. I smiled having sat in with the meeting with Edward to run the idea past Marcus and hash out the details.

Marcus was thrilled to have more dependable staff behind him and Edward, who was going to be returning to work next week after his cast was removed. We had discussed many things, including my role in Cullen Steel now that Edward was back and I was no longer the majority shareholder. It saddened me to know that I was going to be irrelevant and would no longer be needed at work. I told the guys as much in the meeting when they both went into a tizzy insisting that I was a valuable member of the team and that I was needed at Cullen Steel as much as anyone else. My role was never truly defined, but to know that they wanted me with them so badly made me say yes without a second thought.

Everyone was excited for the future laid out before them as wedding plans were made and new homes were found for our new corporate power couples. The coming months were going to be stressful and busy, but they were going to be so very worth it.

We spent the rest of the day catching up with Jasper and Emmett, watching them as they played excitedly with little Cherie. They felt just as attached to her as everyone else because they had watched her grow up in pictures right along with Edward. Toward evening, we set up the projector to take part in Edward's favorite activity. We sat for the next three hours watching film roll after film roll of Cherie growing by leaps and bounds upon the celluloid.

Cherie sat in Edward's lap, as always, pointing to the screen squealing "Meeee," and "Share" earning chuckles from her audience. As the films wore on, she eventually melted into her adoring father's arms falling into a deep contented sleep. After about half an hour, I moved to pick her up and settle her in bed.

Edward grumbled as I lifted her away complaining about his cast and how he was going to do that himself once he was free of it. I smiled and ran my hand down his cheek before kissing it and carrying our baby girl up to her room. I changed her clothes and laid her gently in her crib, the gentle blue light of the moon illuminating her face. So much had happened in her lifetime, and yet so much was to come and from this point on, both of her parents would be there to see it all happen.

She sighed and rolled over, her tiny hand tucking under her pink cheeks, her long eyelashes resting upon the rise of her cheekbone below them. In that light she looked like the angel she truly was. I was still standing there watching her as Edward came up behind me, tucking his arms around my waist with a sigh.

"She's so beautiful, Bella. You did such a great job there."

I giggled curling my fingers with his at my waist and leaning back into his shoulder. "No, sweetheart, that right there we did together."

He chuckled kissing my neck before we slowly walked toward our room, the rest of the house dark and resting for the night.

"So when are we going to start trying for a little brother or sister for her?" Edward asked as his nose grazed my neck making me whimper.

"If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Cullen, we've been working on that since the night you came home. I'm pretty sure it's up to God now."

He chuckled huskily, turning me toward him as we shuffled toward the bed. "How about we give him a hand?"

"After you, Mr. Cullen."

He groaned, bunching the material of my skirt up to my hip and grazing his hand along the edge of my underwear. "No, Mrs. Cullen, you will definitely go first, maybe more than once."

I laughed as he threw me onto the bed and covered me with his body. It was still awkward with the cast, but we had learned to work around it. In one short week, it would no longer be a hindrance.

"I love you, Edward."

He smiled down at me, pushing my hair behind my ear, and caressing my cheek with a fingertip. "I love you too, my sweet Bella."

And with a long passionate kiss, we resumed the quest for baby number two.


	27. Epilogue: Chicago, May 1966

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga. No copyright infringement is intended.**

_**Author's Note: So this is the end…it's so sad! Thank you to all of my faithful readers who have read and reviewed this story, encouraging me to keep pushing through. Thanks to all of you who have signed up to follow my blog aculMy Stories**__**lenwannabe dot blogspot dot com, and my twitter account. You guys are so awesome…thank you all so much. I know I didn't respond to very many reviews, but I'm sure most of you understand that when there's a choice between getting another chapter and responding to reviews, I really need to get those next chapters done!**_

_**Thanks to my beta AgoodWITCH for her work betaing this story. She's a very talented writer with some great stories already up and more on the horizon. If you haven't checked out her work yet, I highly recommend you do. She's got a new story coming up that's going to knock your socks off…think Criminal Minds meets Twilight! I think you guys will enjoy it!**_

_**Also, I am already three Chapters in on my Nascar story. I'm trying to wait until I'm either done or mostly done before I start posting, but I'm getting excited to see your reactions…so keep your eyes peeled for it when I post. It's called Breakaway.**_

_**Okay, enough procrastination…on with The Wallflower and The Flyboy Epilogue. Busy day tomorrow with my son's actual birthday, so I'm posting tonight. I hope you enjoy and once again, thank you for all of your support.**_

* * *

** Epilogue**

**Chicago, May 1966**

"What I don't understand is why she has to go around protesting the war. Honestly, I'm expecting her to come home any day now referring to herself as Cherry Blossom. Doesn't she see where I might find this all upsetting?" Edward asked Bella as he fought to straighten the windsor knot in his navy blue silk necktie.

Bella sighed with a small smile as she crossed to stand in front of him, grasping the silk material to straighten it before flipping down the collar of his dress shirt and smoothing the lapels. "It's just a way of expressing herself, Edward," she soothed as she stared up into the extremely handsome face of the love of her life. The past twenty years had definitely aged him. Faint lines now stretched across his brow and the corners of his eyes and his bronze mop was now about half gray. He was still the man of her dreams though, and would always continue to be so.

Edward sighed, wrapping his arms around Bella's waist as he leaned down to kiss her lips, being careful not to smear the lipstick she had just applied in anticipation of attending Cherie's graduation from Northwestern University. Their daughter was intelligent, graduating with honors, and yet was completely enamored with this new movement.

Edward had been horrified when his daughter first came home with flowers in her hair ranting about the atrocities of the war in Vietnam. In his opinions, the people he had seen on television were nothing more than a bunch of degenerates who simply were too lazy to fight. You would never have seen a young man acting the way these social rejects were in his day. As a veteran, he felt personally affronted by their outrageous stance against the war. When his daughter came home spouting the same propaganda, Edward nearly had a heart attack right there at the dinner table.

Bella, however, saw things from a slightly different point of view. She recognized that her daughter had a good head on her shoulders and rational thoughts on all the issues she brought up. The girl's mother had a sneaking suspicion that there was more behind her new stance than her exuberant daughter let on.

"Honestly, Edward, I don't think her attitude about this reflects her feelings on you or your generation at all. I think it's partially about the way things have been handled thus far and partially about her own feelings about that time. I think deep down inside she's trying to keep some other little girl from losing their first year with their Daddy like she did hers."

Edward's eyes lowered, a flash of pain gracing his features. Bella sighed again, knowing he felt guilty when he certainly shouldn't. "She doesn't blame you, Edward. She just doesn't think that other kids should be deprived of their fathers for a war that, at least in her eyes, simply is not winnable. The cause you fought for was much more defined. In Vietnam, it's more like they are fighting the ghost of communism and not getting anywhere, as opposed to fighting a tangible aggressor."

Edward sighed, running his hands through his hair. As a lifelong patriot and veteran, he was not used to questioning the decisions of the government. His generation was taught to honor their leaders and follow them with pride. This new generation had no respect for the sanctity of their nation, but he could not deny that his wife had a point. He knew his daughter was a bright girl with a good head on her shoulders, but he couldn't help but fear that dipping her toe into that area of influence would drag her into the rest of the lifestyle. Few things horrified him more than thinking of his daughter living in a haze of illegal substances and giving herself freely to many different men. That type of behavior wasn't in his daughter's nature, but how many other parents of these kids had thought the same, only to find their children disappear, leaving a shell of their former selves behind?

Bella smiled, grasping his hands and holding them between them. "She's a good girl, Edward. She may make mistakes in life, but they are hers to make and learn from. I, personally, have faith that she won't get wrapped up in all of that drug mess. And as for the free love? She's completely faithful to Daniel. He's practically you when we met, so I don't think she's going to spiral too much."

Bella reached over to the top of the bureau next to them to grasp her pearl necklace he bought her when he returned from Europe, holding it out to Edward with a pleading expression. "Will you help me please, darling?"

He carefully took the thin strand of white pearls and draped it around her neck. He affixed the tiny clasp carefully before stroking the column of her neck lovingly. Bella was just as lovely to his eyes as she was the first day he laid eyes on her across the room at a USO dance in New York. Not a day passed that he did not thank God in heaven for letting them find one another.

He leaned in to kiss her neck gently, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her now slightly fuller frame to his chest. She was conscientious of the changes in her body after the birth of their children, but Edward loved her more rounded hips and fuller breasts that now gave her a more defined hour glass shape than she had when they first met. He found her slightly more voluptuous curves extremely alluring. Twenty years of taking her in their bed had not diminished his desire for her at all.

Bella sighed, tipping her head to allow him better access and bringing her hands to his thighs, rubbing them gently as both of their bodies began to respond. They didn't have time for the distraction, but their minds were having a hard time convincing their bodies of that. It wasn't until their youngest child burst through the door before yelping and covering her eyes that they managed to get a handle on their desires.

"Oh my…geez guys! You're old now, why don't you act like it," their fourteen year old daughter, Grace, cried from behind the safety of her shielding palm. It never ceased to astound Edward when he glanced at his youngest child just how much she looked like her mother from her chocolate eyes to her brown hair and heart shaped face. The only thing that she seemed to have inherited from her father was a bit of height that her mother lacked. At fourteen, she was already an inch taller than Bella, and appeared to still be growing.

Both Bella and Edward laughed loudly at their daughter's exclamation. They remembered the time when they considered people in their forties old, but now that they were there themselves, they knew exactly how incorrect that really was…at least in their case.

"Perhaps next time you'll remember your manners and knock before entering and save yourself the embarrassment, dear." Bella chuckled as she crossed the room and patted her daughter on the shoulder. "Are you ready to go?"

Grace peeked through her fingers before finally dropping her hand with a relieved sigh. "Yes, and Garrett asked me to tell you that he was going to hitch a ride with Dan and meet us there."

Edward and Bella sighed with a nod as they followed their daughter down the staircase to the main floor and out toward the garage where their 1960 black Cadillac convertible waited for them all to climb in for the ride to campus.

Once they arrived, they walked with the sea of people into the building where the commencement ceremony would take place. All three continually scanned the area around them to spy Garrett and Daniel. Soon, Bella managed to spot the unmistakable messy mop of bronze hair atop their son's head on the far side of the room about halfway up toward the stage in the family seating area. He tossed his head back and laughed in a classic Edward manner as he conversed with the man they all expected to end up as family some day in the not so distant future.

Garrett caught sight and started waving his arms just as Bella pointed him out to Edward. Seventeen year old Garrett smiled widely as they crossed the room to join them, his brown eyes sparkling at them. They had assumed since Cherie had been more or less a honeymoon baby that the second would come just as easily. They struggled for several years, on the verge of giving up, when God finally blessed them with their second child.

Garrett had one year left of high school after which, he hoped to attend Northwestern the following fall. His sister had influenced him enough to talk him out of joining up like all of his buddies planned to do, but the draft could still potentially keep him from following his ambitions immediately after graduation. The feelings in the household were very mixed on his decision. Bella and the girls were relieved that he wouldn't be running off to 'Nam immediately, worried for his life and feeling uneasy about the war as it was. Edward, however, couldn't help but feel disappointed that he had failed to instill that patriotic desire in his son to defend his country, but he also understood with all the chaos surrounding the entire situation.

As they reached the group, everyone shared hugs before situating themselves to settle in for the ceremony. Just before it began, Daniel leaned over to Bella and Edward with a smile.

"I just wanted you to know that tonight is the night. I'm asking Cherie to marry me when I take her to dinner after the reception."

Bella gasped and looked on in shock before looking at a beaming Edward who was nodding his head in agreement. It was then that she realized that he already knew, but then of course he did. Daniel was a proper young man, and he would not have made this move without formally asking Edward for his permission, which Edward must have given. It only slightly upset Bella that he hadn't shared the news with her when Daniel approached him.

Edward looked over at her with a knowing smile as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "He asked me three months ago. I told him he was a good man and he had my blessing. The only thing I asked was that he wait until after she finished school to propose. He agreed wholeheartedly, and obviously he wasn't willing to wait a moment more." He chuckled, wrapping his arm around Bella and hugging her close, thinking that he would have been the same way if their meeting and courtship had been as Cherie and Daniel's.

The music began and all of the family members watched in joy as Gabriella Cherie Cullen walked across the stage and accepted her diploma from the dean. They sat through the long, drawn out ceremony before cheering as the graduating class of 1966 was announced.

The family all went to a reception held afterward for all the Cullen Steel graduates. The night went well as everyone ate and enjoyed the band that played. Well, the younger ones enjoyed the band while the parents did their best to bear patiently with the noise pollution that their children considered good music. Most would have given their right arm for some Glen Miller tunes, but the night was not for them.

As the night started to come to a close, everyone was surprised when six foot tall Daniel hopped on the stage and grabbed the microphone from the stand.

"Excuse me everyone. I am sorry for interrupting the evening. I had planned on waiting until after this party to do this, but I find that I can't hold myself back anymore. Cherie….where are you sweetheart?"

All eyes in the room turned to the bronze haired beauty in the middle of the room, chatting with a group of girls, which included her best friends Maggie McCarty and Candace Whitlock. She stared up to the stage with wide eyes as Bella and Edward held hands, tears pooling in both of their eyes.

"Cherie, will you come up here, baby?"

Cherie looked embarrassed as she crossed the room and took his hand to assist her in climbing the two stairs to stand beside him on the stage. She looked at him in confusion as he smiled down at her with such adoration it was almost painful to see.

Daniel reached up and pushed Cherie's silky ringlets behind her ear before cupping her cheek. "Cherie Cullen, you are the best thing that ever happened to me. You are beautiful, intelligent, caring, loving, and pretty much perfect. I love you so much…so much that I can't wait another minute to ask you this."

Tears began to streak Cherie's face as she watched him kneel in front of her, her hand still grasped in his. "Gabriella Cherie Cullen, will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Cherie's free hand flew to her mouth as a small gasp escaped her. When she finally lowered it a few seconds later, she was smiling. She nodded emphatically as she squeaked out a 'yes.'

The room erupted in cheers as Daniel shot to his feet and swept Cherie into his arms. They kissed passionately on the stage before the crowd, obviously no longer remembering that they were being watched. Bella and Edward cried, holding onto one another as they watched their daughter's joy on stage. Edward wrapped her tighter in his arms, kissing her temple lovingly.

"I love you, Mrs. Cullen. The day you said yes to me was the beginning of the rest of my life. Thank you…thank you for everything."

Bella shook her head as she looked up at him. "No, thank you. You're the one who changed my life completely and gave me all the things I never knew I would ever be lucky enough to have. You gave me three beautiful children and a wonderful life. I love you so much!"

Daniel and Cherie finally broke apart before he slipped a box out of his pocket and slid the ring onto her finger. As soon as she saw the ring, Cherie's face shot up to meet her father's, for obviously he had given Daniel his blessing if Daniel had her Grandmother's ring on her finger. With tears in her eyes, she thanked her father who nodded back with equally shimmering eyes. Cherie clasped her hand to her chest possessively as Daniel swept her into another joyful kiss.

"You gave him Esme's ring to give her, didn't you?" Bella whispered after watching Cherie's reaction. He nodded slowly down at her as a sob cracked free from her chest.

Esme had been the mother to Bella that she had never had in her own youth. Every day for the past five years, Esme's presence had been missed greatly by her daughter-in-law. Bella and Esme had grown such a bond during that nearly two year stretch that Edward had been gone; not a day passed that one did not call the other. When cancer stole her from them all, Bella and Carlisle had felt the pain most acutely. Only a year later, Carlisle had a stroke and joined his bride in heaven. Both parents were very greatly missed by all.

The newly engaged couple were greeted around the room as they left the stage, receiving congratulations from all who knew them until they finally reached Cherie's parents. No words were spoken when they arrived and Bella opened her arms as her daughter flew into them, wrapping her mother tightly within her grasp. Both women cried quiet tears of joy.

When the ladies finally broke apart, Cherie turned to fly into her father's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck extremely tightly as he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her temple.

"Thank you, Daddy. I'm so grateful you are letting me have Grandma Esme's ring. I know what it means to you."

Edward shook his head. "She would have wanted you to have it. She loved you so much, but not as much as I do, baby. I'm so happy for you, but no matter how old you get or how many grandchildren you give me, you are always going to be my baby."

Cherie sobbed into his neck as she savored the fragrance of his aftershave and cologne. After a long embrace, they reluctantly released one another so that Garrett and Grace could get their turns with their sister. Grace cried with her as they looked at their Grandmother's ring on her finger. Esme had a special relationship with each one of her grandchildren and they all adored her completely.

After the party was finished, Bella and Edward began cleaning up, along with Emmett, Rose, Alice, and Jasper. They excused Daniel and Cherie to go out and celebrate while they insisted the rest of their kids stay behind and help clean up. After a bit of bellyaching, the mess was quickly taken care of thanks to all of the contributing hands.

As soon as the last table was put away, all three sets of parents were accosted by their children. Garrett asked if he could go camping with Emmett and Rose's son, Hale, who was the same age as Garrett. It was a tough sell, but eventually the parents agreed once Hale's older sister's boyfriend agreed to go along and keep an eye on things.

Meanwhile, Grace, and Alice and Jasper's younger daughter, Catherine, were begging them to allow Grace to spend the night. That was a much easier sell since they would be under parental supervision and Alice adored Grace.

Fifteen minutes after the agreements were made; the kids disappeared to go get their things for their trips leaving the adults behind to chuckle. After a little more conversation, they all went their separate ways leaving Edward and Bella to return home to an empty house.

They arrived to find their children had already come and gone, leaving the house eerily quiet, which was very unusual. Both parents felt exhausted after the emotionally charged day. They were happy for their eldest daughter, but it was still sad to know she was grown and now getting married. She was officially their first child to leave the nest. The new proposal did, however, ease a few more of Edward's fears.

They undressed in the familiar comfort that comes from years of living together. Long ago, they had found a cadence that allowed them to brush their teeth side by side at their sink without bumping elbows or spitting on one another when they went to expel the froth of their toothpaste from their mouths. They easily completed their nightly ritual, sliding between he covers in their night clothes before curling up together happily.

They spoke quietly into the dark room for a while before they began to kiss. It wasn't long before the freedom of a child free house took over their actions. Nightclothes were quickly discarded as the explored one another free of inhibition. The ability to verbally express their pleasure was an even greater turn on than they had remembered as the plundered and explored one another with hands and mouths, writhing and moaning on their bed.

When Edward entered Bella, they both moaned loudly, calling out to one another in the privacy of their bedroom, memories of their honeymoon flooding their minds. They moved together in knowledgeable synchronicity until they both found their release as they yelled out in ecstasy, panting as they kissed excitedly. Their bodies melted onto the mattress as they recovered in a heap on the bed, Edward softening while still inside of Bella's warmth, neither wanting to break the connection.

Eventually, Edward rolled onto his side, still holding his bride of twenty plus years close to his side as he continued to kiss her face reverently. They fell asleep in one another's arms, happy to still be side by side and as in love with one another as ever.

_**Author's Note: Well guys, that's the end. I'm so glad I decided to extend this story from the oneshot. It has been a great experience and a lot of fun getting my mind to drift back to the WWII era. Thanks so much for sticking with me and reading the story. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you for all of the many reviews you left for these chapters. I wish I could have responded to them all, but you know how it goes. There just aren't enough hours in the day for everything. Thanks again for reading and keep your eyes peeled for updates of Sovereign Fate and a new story I will post in the not so distant future with Nascar Driver Bella!**_


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